The Urbanization and the Occupational Changes of the Farmers in the Suburbs of Tokyo

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the factors which influence the occupational changes of the farmers in the suburbs of a large city.Hitherto, these changes have been analysed in economic terms, such as the size of the farmers' land holdings. In this paper, however, these occupational changes are considered as responses to innovation, in order to test hypothesis derived from that of J. M. Rogers. The research was conducted in the suburbs of Tokyo, where the prices of land holdings are still rising considerably ; this research has revealed the following : (a) it is not only such economical factor as the size of the farmers' land holdings, but also their personal circumstances, status and network of relationships in the community that influence their decision.(b) the size of their land holdings is the factor which distinguishes the farmers who remain farmers and have started new enterprises from those who have become physical laborers.(c) until now, the farmers who have started new enterprises and those who have become physical laborers have been regarded as having, the same personal circumstances, status and social relationship, but the present research indicates otherwise.There is, in other words, a “marginal point” at which the land significantly effects occupational change : where the price falls below this point, the size of the holding is a very important decision factor ; above that point, responses to innovation become rather more important.