Number of Certified Eco-Farmers Across Japan Rises by Over 10,000 in One Year

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Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced on July 27, 2010, that the number of certified eco-farmers nationwide, as of the end of March 2010, now stands at 196,692, an increase of 10,717 over the past year.

"Eco-farmer" is the nickname for farmers who have been certified by their prefectural governors, a scheme based in the Law for Promoting the Introduction of Sustainable Agricultural Production Practices. It benefits farmers because it gives them access to a special allocation within the budget for agricultural reform for the introduction of highly sustainable agriculture practices using composting systems and reducing the use of chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers on their farms.

The regional breakdown for eco-farmer certifications is, in descending order: Tohoku (Northern Honshu Island) now with 58,535 eco-farmers, followed by Kanto (Central Honshu Island) with 42,362, and then Kyushu (Southern Island) with 34,190. By prefecture, the largest increase was in Fukushima, now with 19,553 eco-farmers, followed by Niigata with 14,436, and then Yamagata Prefecture with 10,013.

Assessed in terms of crop acreage, crops with the most certifications were wetland rice, at 40.7 percent, vegetables (seeded vegetables) at 18.9 percent, fruit trees at 8.5 per cent, and vegetables (leaf and stalk vegetables) at 13.3 percent.

Government Initiatives to Support a Sustainable Agricultural Industry in Japan
http://www.japanfs.org/en/mailmagazine/newsletter/pages/
027845.html
Ministry to Support Additional Sustainable Farming Methods (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/026311.html

MAFF official website
http://www.maff.go.jp/e/

Posted: 2010/11/30 06:00:15 AM