パラグアイ共和国イグアス移住地における日本人農業社会の変容

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the transition of Japanese agricultural community in Yguazu, Paraguay, by analyzing the colonization program, Japanese farm management, and Japanese organizations. Yguazu colony was established by the present-day JICA in 1961. Although many Japanese immigrants moved out because it was difficult to adapt to the local environment, remaining Japanese farmers expanded their scale of management by buying farmland from those moved out of the colony. Those who moved to Yguaz from other colonies in Paraguay lead the development of farming by introducing new agricultural methods such as no-tillage farming. As a result Japanese agriculture developed from the small-scale vegetable production to the large-scale farming of soybeans.While farmers' strategies for survival were successful, various Japanese organizations helped them develop their cohesive farming community and agricultural economy. Yguazu Agricultural Association contributed to the development of immigrant farming by establishing cooperative marketing, enabling cooperative purchase of materials, and providing capital that was difficult to obtain privately.The Japanese community based on farming in Yguazu began to change with the transition of Japanese farming. Japanese organizations, which were to promote the benefit of Japanese, have become to pay more attention to the development of local economy and the welfare of non-Japanese residents. The Regional Promotion Society supports non-Japanese, while Japanese Language School teaches Japanese to non-Japanese students. Such a change has shown remarkably since the latter half of the 1980s when Yguazu began to prosper due to the development of agricultural economy.