The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Environments was established in May 2000 to promote a clear understanding of the abundance and diversity brought about by rice cultivation technology, and the natural mechanisms involved.

Rice fields are the typical landscape that defines Japanese rural areas, and they exhibit different aspects throughout the seasons. The rice field environment, consisting of wet and dry land, nurtures biodiversity and is sustained by traditional Japanese rice-growing technology.

However, since the Meiji era (1868-1912), Japanese people have shown less respect for the landscape and natural environment in a society that only values the economical and profitable qualities of modern agriculture. The Institute, therefore, is making an effort to study multifunctional agriculture and to suggest environmental policies based on the idea that agriculture is important for reasons aside from its products, and that these aspects need to be handed down to the next generation.

The Institute proposed Japan's first nationwide survey of wildlife inhabiting rice fields. The research is conducted every year with the cooperation of agricultural workers and citizens' groups. In the 2001 survey, one red dragonfly was found for every three clumps of rice, approximately equivalent to one bowl of rice. The institute plans to extend the scope of its surveys to include grasses, flowers, scenery, and culture.

One of the most important activities of the Institute is to delineate a new image of agriculture that can sustain nature through traditional rice-growing technology, which has a history of 2,400 years.




Posted: 2004/01/15 08:24:50 PM
Japanese version

TAG Ecosystem , Food/Water , NGO/Citizen , University/Research institute