THE REORGANIZATION OF VEGETABLE-PRODUCING AREAS IN KOCHI PREFECTURE, SHIKOKU ISLAND

Abstract

The Kochi plain in the southern part of Shikoku Island has become one of the major regions producing vegetables of Japan. This truck farming region, however, faces with a strong competition with other vegetable-producing areas. The aim of this paper is to clarify how the vegetable-producing areas in the Kochi plain have changed in response to a strong competition with other vegetable-producing areas. The percentage of Kochi cucumber, in winter, in the markets of the Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya metropolitan areas has declined rapidly in recent 10 years. This decline was mainly due to the increasing shipment of fresh vegetables from market-gardening regions adjacent to these metropolitan areas. The author attempts to find the effect of this change upon the vegetable-producing areas in Kochi prefecture. The percentages of planted areas of each vegetable in 1965 and 1975 were calculated in each administrative unit. The type of vegetable-combination in each administrative unit was determined for both years by Weaver-Doi's method, and the distribution was shown in Figure 3. It was found that the vegetable-producing areas in Kochi prefecture had specialized in the production of cucumber in 1965, and that in 1975, however, these areas were no longer specialized only in cucumber production. The eastern Kochi plain specialized in eggplant production, the central Kochi plain in green pepper, and the western Kochi plain in cucumber. The author, then, investigated the production conditions in these three areas, in order to understand the processes and factors of change. The results obtained are as following: 1. This truck farming region, as a large-scale vegetable-producing region, is not significantly changed by the competition with other market-gardening regions. 2. The production of cucumber, however, has declined rapidly throughout the region. 3. This large-scale vegetable-producing region has been reorganized into three spe-ciality areas. 4. New specialities were introduced to small districts by a few pioneers who had acquired the techniques of the cultivation and made use of local climate, soil, and terrain. The introduction of new specialities were also supported by high returns. 5. New specialities were diffused from the core districts to the surrounding areas that have similar climate, soil, and terrain conditions. 6. The diffusion of cultivation of new vegetables were supported by the guidance of the Organization of Kochi Vegetable-Farmers Association and its many branches, and the establishment of shinoers' cooberatives.