水稲直播の導入と地域営農の形成

Abstract

This study aims to clarify the effects of the introduction of direct-seeding on regional farming, taking Taka area in Haramachi-shi and Yagisawa area in Aizutakada-machi in Fukushima Prefecture as examples. The method was introduced in these areas in the mid 1990's and is still in practice.The result suggests several major points:(1) The farming form in the above areas changed after the introduction of direct-seeding like this; many small scale farmers, who had been engaged in farm work individually so far, began to entrust their farm work to the persons who could manage for them.The reasons are supposed as follows; one is that the condition of small scale farmers became so severe that they could not afford to manage farm work using agricultural machines because of the fall in rice prices. The other is that the land readjustment project forced more than one landfarmer to share one paddy field, and as a result the numbers of the farmers who entrusted their farm work to managers increased.(2) There was a great difference between the above areas that introduced direct-seeding on the surplus labor of the farmer. In Taka area they supplied labor to the multiple farming sections and enlarged the plan of farming management. On the other hand, in Yagisawa area the amount of labor which was supplied to non-agricultural works increased.(3) Direct-seeding enables the labor-saving of spring work, cut of the production cost by common ownership of agricultural machinery and large-scale management of rice cultivation.It is also effective in the promotion of the product organization and the correspondence of the production organization by introducing direct-seeding in the whole region. Therefore, we may say that the introduction of direct-seeding on the regional farming is one of the most effective measures which does away with the present severe situation surrounding modern rice cultivation.