Less‐favoured‐area payments, farmland abandonment and farm size: evidence from hilly and mountainous areas in Japan*

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taisuke Takayama ◽  
Tomoaki Nakatani ◽  
Tetsuji Senda ◽  
Takeshi Fujie
Keyword(s):  
Farm Size ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Farmland Abandonment

scholarly journals Hotspots of Agricultural Ecosystem Services and Farmland Biodiversity Overlap with Areas at Risk of Land Abandonment in Japan

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1031
Author(s):  
Keiko Sasaki ◽  
Stefan Hotes ◽  
Tomohiro Ichinose ◽  
Tomoko Doko ◽  
Volkmar Wolters
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Rural Tourism ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem ◽  
Farmland Biodiversity ◽  
Farmland Abandonment ◽  
Biological Communities

Agriculture provides a wide range of ecosystem services and has the potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation. In Japan, many of the resources associated with agroecosystems are threatened by farmland abandonment. Identifying where and to what extent agricultural ecosystem services and farmland biodiversity are affected by farmland abandonment is essential for developing effective strategies to counter the potential loss of these services and the biological communities that support them. Our study aimed to examine how a set of indicators for ecosystem services and biodiversity linked to agroecosystems (proportions of land dedicated to rice production and other agricultural production, proportion of agricultural land on slopes potentially providing landscape aesthetics, proportion of villages promoting rural tourism, and densities of forest edges and irrigation ponds in agricultural land) are distributed at the municipal level across the Japanese Archipelago, and to analyze their spatial patterns in relation to the distribution of farmland abandonment. It was hypothesized that hotspots of agricultural ecosystem services and farmland biodiversity occur in areas at risk of farmland abandonment owing to shared drivers. The cluster analysis identified four distinct ecosystem service bundle types, two of them representing areas specializing in agricultural production, while the other two provided high levels of cultural services and habitats for diverse biological communities. The latter two bundles were located in hilly and mountainous areas and accounted for 58% of rice production, 27% of other agricultural production, 77% of landscape aesthetics, 77% of rural tourism, 64% of forest edges, and 87% of irrigation ponds in Japan. In support of the hypothesis, farmland abandonment was pronounced in these areas, with 64% of recently abandoned fields located where 44% of agricultural land was found. This spatial overlap suggests that substantial losses of ecosystem services and biodiversity may occur if current patterns of farmland abandonment continue. In order to prevent large-scale losses of agricultural ecosystem services and farmland biodiversity, measures to counteract the ongoing abandonment trends should prioritize hilly and mountainous areas, and future studies should further evaluate the multiple functions of agricultural areas to improve policies that aim to ensure sustainable development of rural areas in Japan.

The management of risk in a dryland environment

2011 ◽  
pp. 13-21
Author(s):  
D.I. Gray ◽  
J.I. Reid ◽  
D.J. Horne
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Market Risk ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Forage Crops ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Upside Risk

A group of 24 Hawke's Bay hill country farmers are working with service providers to improve the resilience of their farming systems. An important step in the process was to undertake an inventory of their risk management strategies. Farmers were interviewed about their farming systems and risk management strategies and the data was analysed using descriptive statistics. There was considerable variation in the strategies adopted by the farmers to cope with a dryland environment. Importantly, these strategies had to cope with three types of drought and also upside risk (better than expected conditions), and so flexibility was critical. Infra-structure was important in managing a dryland environment. Farmers chose between increased scale (increasing farm size) and geographic dispersion (owning a second property in another location) through to intensification (investing in subdivision, drainage, capital fertiliser, new pasture species). The study identified that there may be scope for further investment in infra-structural elements such as drainage, deeper rooting alternative pasture species and water harvesting, along with improved management of subterranean clover to improve flexibility. Many of the farmers used forage crops and idling capacity (reduced stocking rate) to improve flexibility; others argued that maintaining pasture quality and managing upside risk was a better strategy in a dryland environment. Supplementary feed was an important strategy for some farmers, but its use was limited by contour and machinery constraints. A surprisingly large proportion of farmers run breeding cows, a policy that is much less flexible than trading stock. However, several farmers had improved their flexibility by running a high proportion of trading cattle and buffer mobs of ewe hoggets and trade lambs. To manage market risk, the majority of farmers are selling a large proportion of their lambs prime. Similarly, cattle are either sold prime or store onto the grass market when prices are at a premium. However, market risk associated with the purchase of supplements and grazing was poorly managed.

Significance of Experience, Farm Size, Quantity of Propagules and Location f or Seaweed Farmers in the Divided Island of Sebatik

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 825-832
Author(s):  
James M. Alin ◽  
◽  
Datu Razali Datu Eranza ◽  
Arsiah Bahron ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Production Function ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
Douglas Production Function

Seaweed-Kappaphycus-Euchema Cottonii and Denticulum species was first cultivated at Sabah side of Sebatik in 2009. By November 2014, sixty one Sabahan seaweed farmers cultivated 122 ha or 3,050 long lines. Thirty Sabahan seaweed farmers in Kampung Pendekar (3.2 m.t dried) and 31 in Burst Point (12.5 m.t dried) produced 16 metric tonnes of dried seaweed contributed 31% to Tawau’s total production (51 m.t). The remaining 69% were from farmers in Cowie Bay that separates Sebatik from municipality of Tawau. Indonesian in Desa Setabu, Sebatik started in 2008. However, the number of Indonesian seaweed farmers, their cultivated areas and production (as well as quality) in Sebatik increased many times higher and faster than the Sabah side of Sebatik. In 2009 more than 1,401 households in Kabupaten Nunukan (including Sebatik) cultivated over 700 ha and have produced 55,098.95 and 116, 73 m.t dried seaweed in 2010 and 2011 respectively. There is a divergence in productions from farming the sea off the same island under similar weather conditions. Which of the eight explanatory factors were affecting production of seaweeds in Sebatik? Using Cobb Douglas production function, Multiple Regression analysis was conducted on 100 samples (50 Sabahan and 50 Indonesian). Results; Variable significant at α = 0.05% are Experience in farming whereas Farm size; Quantity of propagules and Location — Dummy are the variables significant at α 0.01%. Not significant are variables Fuel; Age; Number of family members involved in farming and Education level.

MANAGING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY EFFECTS APPLICATION IN TEACHING AT LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RURAL, MIDLAND AND MOUNTAINOUS AREAS MEETING NEEDS FOR EDUCATION INNOVATION IN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 4.0

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pham Thi Le Hang
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
And Training ◽  
Lower Secondary Schools

The development of ICTs has strongly influenced many different aspects of social life, including education and training. ICTs application and management of ICTs applications has become an indispensable trend and has a profound effect on improving the quality of education and training. The author has analyzed the current state of ICTs application management in teaching in lower secondary schools in rural, midland and mountainous areas from which 6 management solutions for applying information and communication technology in teaching in lower secondary schools in accordance with the school’s practice.

PSYCHOLOGY, AWARENESS OF THE ETHNIC GROUPS IN NEW RURAL CONSTRUCTION IN ETHNIC MINORITY AND MOUNTAINOUS AREAS TODAY

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Duy Dung
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Minority ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Target Program ◽  
Rural Construction ◽  
New Rural Construction

New rural construction is one of the key tasks identified by the Party and State as the national target program until 2020. Many documents of the Party and the State have been issued expressing political will to implement the tasks of building new rural areas, over 6 years of implementation, the National Target Program for new rural construction has achieved certain achievements, the appearance of rural areas of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas has gradually changed dramatically, contributing significantly to promoting socio-economic and cultural development. Many provinces and cities throughout the whole country have built some new rural models that meet nineteen criterias and arrive on time.

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