THE REORGANIZATION OF RICE-PRODUCING COOPERATIVES IN THE SAGA PLAIN, KYUSHU

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to state the development of the system of agricultural pro duction of the 1970's in the Saga Plain, one of the most famous rice producing districts in Kyushu. In order to consider it, Morotomi Machi, Mikatsuki Machi, Tosu Shi and Fuku domi Machi in Saga prefecture were selected as study regions. In the Saga Plain, the system of group cultivation of rice was broken in about 1970. Then the system of agricultural production equipped with the farm-machinery and facili ties was formed by the introduction of various financial aid. And the system has owned distinctive characteristics of the region. In Mikatsuki and Tosu, a formation of the system of the land being placed under the management of the group or the agricultural coopera tive began with the urbanization. Put, generally, there exists the cooperative utilization system including part-time farmers as in the case of Morotomi, because the class differen tiation of farmers has not proceeded into a large scale and a small scale in the Saga Plain. On the other hand, in Fukudomi the system of the cooperative utilization of the farm machinery was broken because there was a relatively large number of full-time farmers. The mechanization of agriculture in the cooperatives or individuals reduced, remarkably, . working hours of farmers in rice producing. In spite of the increase of part-time farmers, there was a limit of the enlargement of the management scale of full-time farmers in rice producing. Then, full-time farmers cultivate the rented land for a period of the secondd crop (that is chiefly wheat producing). Unders such conditions, methods of adaptation of part-time farmers are as follows; (1) The method of obtaining the high rent of land which is much higher than the standard price of tenancy on a contract of “Ukeoi Kosaku”, (2) The method of establishing the income of rice producing and the non-agricultural inLome), lending the land for a period of the second crop and contracting the cultivation in rice-planting season. It can be said the establishment of the rice centers or the grain elevators ensured the security of living for part-time farmers. From the administrative point of view, it aimed at both making the basis of the structures of leading the farm management and expanding or rearranging the system of production in the form of unified settlments. But in fact there was a tendency of the separation of upper-class farmers from the cooperative production system, except for the case of Mikatsuki and Tosu. And the same thing happened to the system of the cooperative utilization of the farm-machinery. It seems as if they always wanted to return the farm management from group cultivation to individual one. We shall pay attention to the change in administrative system of production which unifies settlements, and consider whether it can acquire the leadership in the development of local agriculture.