| Research Abstract |
We advocated the importance of establishing ecologically sound and economically viable farming, or eco-eco farming, which is characterized by low input high output farming system. This study aimed at the examination of issues and prospects for establishing such farming system. In view of the necessity of area-based holistic approach, this study focused not only on the problems at the individual farm but also the local area levels.
The study clarified functions of compost center and its roles in the promotion of regional agricultural development, based on case studied conducted in Usuda, Miho, Yonezawa, Motomiya, and Kannami. It became clear that the compost center played a significant role if there was an adequate quantity of composting materials, but some centers suffered from the lack of materials and the facility appeared to be too large, causing inefficiency and high cost. However, all these areas successfully promoted the local agriculture into organic and sustainable farming, with
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the use of organic fertilizer. In contrast, a questionnaire survey conducted in Atsushiokano, Fukushima Prefecture, one of the most progressive organic rice farming areas, revealed that not only the recent decline of rice prices but also the absence of compost center have caused the decline in profitability of organic farming.
Cultivation experiments of green manure crops, Chinese milk vetch and hairy vetch, were conducted repeatedly in a rice field located in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture. Chinese milk vetch did not grow well under snowy county conditions. Hairy vetch effectively controlled weeds in the spring, if it was sown in the middle of September in the previous year. It also provided 13.7 kg of nitrogen per 0.1 ha. In addition, five kinds of green manure were planted in a highland vegetable area in Indonesia. Hairy vetch grew very well but seeds could not be produced. For promoting sustainable agriculture, further studies are needed for crop rotation and inter-cropping systems, involving green manure crops. Less
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