Development factors of agritourism in Nagawa district, Nanbu town, Aomori Prefecture: Role of local leaders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify agritourism development in remote areas. In earlier studies, local people's active participation encouraged the development of tourist industries in rural areas far from large metropolitan areas. The study area is Nagawa district, Nanbu town, Aomori Prefecture, where farmers engaged in agritourism play an important role in local development. In this area, the main industry is agriculture, mainly fruit cultivation. Farmers grow mostly sweet cherries, plums, and apples. Aomori Prefecture is divided into the Tsugaru region and the Nanbu region. The Tsugaru region is well known for its apple production, whereas the Nanbu region including Nagawa district, Nanbu town produces various types of fruit. There have been many changes in fruit farming in Nagawa district. Cold wind from late spring to summer, called yamase, damaged rice and therefore lowered production. Thus, farmers traditionally had to rely on off-farm income sources, such as work away from home or timber revenues from land held in common. As a result, fruit cultivation was an important source to produce income to maintain farm management. In the Meiji era, farmers started commercial fruit farming, but they had few markets. Thus, farmers started to ship fruit through newly organized settlement associations and also through private sales in local markets. After World War II, fruit cultivation was promoted because of the adjustment in the production of rice and tolerance to damage from cold weather, and therefore Nagawa district, became the greatest sweet cherry and plum production center in Aomori Prefecture. However, fruit farmers decreased in number because of the hard working conditions and low market prices for fruit. The local government had to consider regional revitalization through the promotion of agriculture. Therefore, the local government decided to utilize fruit production to develop rural tourism. The local governments and local leaders promoted agritourism using the following methods. Specifically, the local government planned cherry picking, direct marketing of farm products and fruit artifacts, farm home stays, and other events. In addition, the local government built farm stands, accommodations, and hosted farm experience excursions. Fruit farmers who approved of such activities focused their energy on agritourism and supported tourism events sponsored by the local government. In the Takase area, Nagawa district, where many farmers are engaged in agritourism, two farmers in particular contributed to the development of agritourism. One was the first person to manage a "pick-your-own" farm, and the other encouraged fruit farmers in this area to start agritourism. In addition to changing farm management, they built a cooperative system of pick-your-own farms in the Takase area and diversified farm management with subsidized projects. Their leadership encouraged people who had returned to farming to participate in pick-your-own farm management. Furthermore, employed workers from neighboring areas supported pick-your-own farm management indirectly. Thus, it is important to obtain the cooperation of as many farmers as possible for local development through agritourism in remote rural villages. In other words, it is necessary for agritourism and administrative tourism events to complement each other.