Factors affecting Crop damage by Wild Boar: The analysis using census data of Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract

author analyzed crop damage using agriculture and forestry census data to explain why crops are damaged by wild boars. The relationships between incidence (%) of crop damage in each community and nine factors extracted from census data were analyzed using a generalized linear model. The number of analyzed paddy fields was 57, 361. The results showed that the forested land area ratio, elevation, the decreasing ratio of farmers, and the ratio of abandoned cultivated land were positively related to crop damage. Average paddy-field area, number of meetings, and community management level were negatively related to crop damage. No relationship was found between crop damage and the ratio of over-65-year-old farmers or the ratio of subsistence farmers. In conclusion, not only geographical factors but also human factors (i.e., the decreasing ratio of farmers, number of meetings, and community management level) are important as indicators of crop damage.