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ssd-1 |
Activate Agriculture and Fishery in Small Island |
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Most islands are rapidly aging in society, loosing workforce in agriculture and fishery.
This cluster is to find better solutions to increase the production rate and gain human resources needed to sustain agriculture and fishery on small islands. |
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001
The ratio of food self-sufficiency in Japan is slightly over 40% which is the lowest production rate among advanced nations. Furthermore, it is only 28% in Okinawa.
We depend on a great portion of food from import from other countries and other prefectures of Japan.
It could happen that food may stop coming to an island suddenly due to emergency situations of foreign countries or by problems in transportation.
It is important to raise the self-sufficiency rate of food and build stockpile systems to support islands, so that we will not be influenced by any changes of other situations for a certain period of time.
Engaging in primary industries and growing processing and manufacturing industries is the key to success for surviving on small islands. (Oshiro 9/20/2009) |
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002
Many people are trying hard to carry out non-agrochemicals and organic agriculture in Miyako Island. Our challenge is that even if it takes time, we want to raise the self-sufficiency rate of safe food.
There cannot be an absolute way to reach this goal, but there must be many approaches.
If we can gather more information that can assist farming without agrochemicals and chemical fertilizer, there would be more choices applicable under different circumstances.
The purpose of this cluster is to introduce the examples of success and failure which can be a good reference to many people. (Oshiro 9/20/2009) |
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003
The leader of organic cultivation, whom I respect, explained that "Although people think organic cultivation is something special, all the farmhouses from 60 years ago only had organic cultivation". That was an eye opener.
He is right and we are convinced that the organic cultivation was the ordinary and only way back them.
Unless we send organic crops to major markets, we should think it more simply. If we simply think of ways to make safe vegetables and fruits for our family and friends, anyone can start and continue easily. (Yoshinori 10/26/2009) |
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004
Although I wrote "Anyone can start and continue easily", I should say that harvesting organic crops stably without agrochemicals and chemical fertilizer is very difficult. It is like growing fresh vegetables in the middle of a jungle.
When crops start to grow, they will tatter instantly with illness and get eaten easily by worms and such. In order to gather harvest safely, we need to be alert and collect many know-hows against trouble.
I think organic cultivation can be possible with less burden by studying new compost which will produce strong crops and collect rich information and data of new field managements. (Yoshinori 10/27/2009) |
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