Food Self-sufficiency Ratio Research Articles

Economic Transformation of Agriculture in Asia: Past Performance and Future Prospects

As an economy develops, agriculture faces distinctly different problems: food insecurity, sectoral income inequality, and food trade deficits associated with declining comparative advantage. Fear of widespread famine was Asia's major agricultural problem in the 1960s, which was subsequently solved by the Green Revolution. As nonfarm sectors of the economy grew more rapidly than agriculture, an income gap appeared between farm and the nonfarm sectors; this gap has been reduced primarily by increasing nonfarm income of farm households and migration to urban areas. Advanced countries in Asia (i.e., Japan, Taiwan, and Korea) now face a third problem— trade deficits in agriculture, as reflected by the rapidly declining food self-sufficiency ratio. This foreshadows the problem facing other rapidly growing Asian countries in the future. Massive imports of food grains to Asia, if they occur, will aggravate the world food shortage and would have significant implications on climate change.

わが国の食料自給率向上とその効果について考える

In our eating habits, independent eating habits are being lost in all meanings today. For example, in the home, the opportunity of the meal made at home decreases and the domestic taste is disappearing. In the local area, succession of gastronomic culture is difficult. Moreover, the agricultural products are also no longer consumed in the area. As a result, the food self-sufficiency ratio of our country is a fall tendency. The decline in a food self-sufficiency ratio has the strong relation not only with food problems but environmental problems and agricultural problems. Therefore, regaining independent eating habits means that many of those problems are solved. Now, in order to raise a food self-sufficiency ratio, there are only two methods. For that purpose, consumers′ efforts are required. One method should make a denominator small. That is, it is important to lose useless consumption (food loss). Another method is making a numerator expand. Specifically, the agricultural products are consumed in the area. And it activates Japanese agriculture. For that purpose, food education is an important means. The food education can perform consumers′ consciousness reform. Furthermore, it can expect to solve many problems, such as a food self-sufficiency ratio.

Crops and food security--experiences and perspectives from Taiwan.

Food security is an important issue that is of concern for all countries around the world. There are many factors which may cause food insecurity including increasing demand, shortage of supply, trade condition, another countries' food policy, lack of money, high food and oil prices, decelerating productivity, speculation, etc. The food self-sufficiency ratio of Taiwan is only 30.6% weighted by energy in 2007. Total agriculture imports and cereals have increased significantly due to the expansion of livestock and fishery industries and improve living standard. The agriculture sector of Taiwan is facing many challenges, such as: low level of food self-sufficiency, aging farmers, large acreage of set-aside farmlands, small scale farming, soaring price of fertilizers, natural disasters accelerated by climate change, and rapid changes in the world food economy. To cope with these challenges, the present agricultural policy is based on three guidelines: "Healthfulness, Efficiency, and Sustainability." A program entitled "Turning Small Landlords into Large Tenants" was launched to make effective use of idle lands. Facing globalization and the food crisis, Taiwan will secure stable food supply through revitalization of its set-aside farmlands and international markets, and provide technical assistance to developing countries, in particular for staple food crops.

Approach of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Concerning the Food Self-sufficiency Ratio

Approach of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Concerning the Food Self-sufficiency Ratio

Regional Economic Analysis Using Input-Output Tables from Segmented Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Food and Related Industries

Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food industry products have been the foundation of the Japanese diet while providing Japanese society with the basis for living and cultural activities. Nevertheless, along with the progress of the Japanese economy, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sectors have experienced a considerable decline in production and employment. The Japanese government has adopted various measures to reverse the decline of Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio under the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas enacted in 1999. Comprehensive economic analyses of the situations of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and their related industries are necessary to cope with structural problems facing Japanese primary industries. This study examines the regional economic structure in Japan using input-output tables from segmented agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and related industries. The study employs skyline analysis, analysis of the interregional trade balance, and structural decomposition analysis to identify present issues related to Japanese primary industries. Results reveal that interregional trade among metropolitan and local regions is a major determinant of agriculture, forestry, fisheries and food industries production. The decline in interregional trade in the 1990s has adversely affected the production of primary industries in Japan.JEL Classification: C67, O13

Model Development for Evaluating Countermeasures Effects against Livestock Manure Management (Study on Reasonable Budget Planning for Effective Utilization of Livestock Manure)

In this research, the model to quantify various environmental and social benefits comprehensively expected by governmental countermeasures execution was developed as a reasonable method of policy decision making on domestic livestock manure oversupply problem. The developed model was applied to Maebashi city, Gunma Prefecture as a case study. The model consists of Sub-model for Agricultural Material Flow Analysis considering Life Cycle Assessment and Sub-Model for Characterization of Environmental and Social Benefits. The output of this model showed the cost-benefit ratio of proposed countermeasures. As the items of benefits, these 8 categories were chosen by panel method: water pollution, soil pollution, air pollution, global warming, acidification, protection of exhaustible resource, food self-sufficiency ratio and energy self-sufficiency ratio. As a result, Compost use promotion plan and Feed production support plan showed a large cost-benefit ratio in some categories (not all). However, both measures had upper limits of possible budget distribution by model constraints. Therefore, it was suggested that the combination of countermeasures would be necessary in terms of both reasonable budget distribution and diversity of expected benefits. The result would contribute to the construction of the reasonable decision making method.

Opportunities and challenges of sustainable agricultural development in China

This paper introduces the concepts and aims of sustainable agriculture in China. Sustainable agricultural development comprises sustainability of agricultural production, sustainability of the rural economy, ecological and environmental sustainability within agricultural systems and sustainability of rural society. China's prime aim is to ensure current and future food security. Based on projections of China's population, its economy, societal factors and agricultural resources and inputs between 2000 and 2050, total grain supply and demand has been predicted and the state of food security analysed. Total and per capita demand for grain will increase continuously. Total demand will reach 648 Mt in 2020 and 700 Mt in 2050, while total grain yield of cultivated land will reach 470 Mt in 2010, 585 Mt in 2030 and 656 Mt in 2050. The per capita grain production will be around 360kg in the period 2000-2030 and reach 470kg in 2050. When productivities of cultivated land and other agricultural resources are all taken into consideration, China's food self-sufficiency ratio will increase from 94.4% in 2000 to 101.3% in 2030, suggesting that China will meet its future demand for food and need for food security. Despite this positive assessment, the country's sustainable agricultural development has encountered many obstacles. These include: agricultural water-use shortage; cultivated land loss; inappropriate usage of fertilizers and pesticides, and environmental degradation.

Evaluation of Local Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio from the Standpoint of "Produce Locally and Consume Locally":

Evaluation of Local Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio from the Standpoint of "Produce Locally and Consume Locally":

Effect of Food Policy on Improving Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio based on Calories

Effect of Food Policy on Improving Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio based on Calories