The Function of Facilitator in Risk/Chance Management: Action Research in the Stricken Area of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the function of the facilitator in extracting and coordinating the needs-seeds of both victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and their supporters. The subject-matter of the research is a group of strawberry farmers of Watari-town who are victims of the earthquake. The town is situated in the damaged stricken area of that disaster. The author has been conducting participant observation and action research between April, 2011, and May, 2013, to promote the interaction of the needs-seeds with victims and supporters. The main needs of strawberry farmers were recovering the harvest to its former level, obtaining the alternative delivery channel, and letting many people know about the real condition of the stricken area. According to the needs and seeds of farmers, a Consumers’ Co-operative Union Club has become a core supporter. A “Strawberry-stock model” has been suggested in which victims and supporters participate together; this model was put into practical use in October 2012. This case study describes how a researcher became a facilitator of contributing to “the better state” in a disaster-stricken area.