Farming after the Fukushima accident: A feminist political ecology analysis of organic agriculture

Abstract

This paper analyzes experiences of organic farmers after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear reactor accident. Specifically, we draw on feminist political ecology to analyze the divergent perceptions of radiation threats. Based on farmer interviews, we find that different interpretations resulted in social tensions on multiple levels, even among family members, particularly along gender lines. The paper links these local struggles to larger political issues. The political and economic elites emphasized control and normalcy in accordance with hegemonic masculinity, while chastising citizens who were concerned with radiation as irrational and hysteric. Existing studies of disasters have acknowledged their gendered impacts, but the analysis has tended to focus on women's increased morbidity and mortality. Overall, our study suggests the utility of feminist political ecology in analyzing local risk interpretations and macro political dynamics from feminist perspectives. While gender difference in attitudes to radiation contamination is expected from the existing literature, this study suggests the need to examine how identities and socially constructed notions of masculinity/femininity mediate them.