Expansion and characteristics of large-scale rice-growing farms in Fujishima-area, Tsuruoka, Yamagata prefecture

Abstract

The author explains the development of a large-scale rice-growing areas. In particular, he focuses on large-scale rice-growing farmers' management methods in the Fujishima-area in Yamagata Prefecture, which has developed into an agricultural center of the Shonai area. The large-scale rice-growing farmers in the area have enlarged their farmland holdings by leasing land since the 1980s. Farmers expanded their farms during the 1990s. As a result, the management base of the farmers was strengthened through improved productivity. An analysis of rice farming in the Higashi-watamae settlement showed that large-scale rice-growing farmers rented farmland from relatives and retiring farmers, and that middle- to smaller-scale rice-growing farmers are engaged in self-contained farming. The management base of the farmers was strengthened through improved productivity and reduced production costs. The continuous fall of rice prices since 1994 has negatively affected the ability of rice-growing farmers to manage their farms, and the profitability of rice farming has been far lower than anticipated. In response, large-scale rice-growing farmers have diversified into vegetable production and production of organic rice, and have developed new methods for cultivating rice with lower pesticide use, in an effort to preserve their profits.