Research & reports

Takanori Kuronuma, Saori Hashimoto, Ryuta CHIMURA, Haruaki YOKOKAWA, Kazunori Sakamoto, Hitoshi Watanabe · Journal of the Japanese Society of Revegetation Technology · Japan

This study investigated the annual changes in lightweight soil in a thin substratum rooftop garden planted with Zoysia grass. No annual changes were observed in grass growth or soil physical properties. Soil organic matter tended to increase after construction, and nutrient salt content was comparable to golf course green soil diagnostic standards. However, nutrient salt levels in unused lightweight soil were significantly higher than after construction and decreased annually. No difference in nutrient salt content was confirmed with or without additional fertilization, suggesting the need for fertilization management tailored to the unique rooftop environment.

幸治 江口 · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

The Santome Area in Saitama Prefecture has practiced circular urban agriculture utilizing plain woods for 300 years, but urbanization, particularly in Kawagoe City and Tokorozawa City, is causing a significant decline in farmland and plain woods. While the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Saitama Prefecture promote urban agriculture and plain wood preservation, the plain-wood-utilizing circular urban agriculture in Santome Area faces specific problems. This paper identifies land systems, including taxation, as a central issue among these problems and examines the possibility of integrated preservation for farmland and plain woods.

Hideharu KURITA, Tokuji Yamamoto, Tetsushi Shigeoka · JOURNAL OF RURAL PLANNING ASSOCIATION · Japan

A case study of an allotment garden for kitchen garbage recycling in Kitamoto City, Japan, examines the potential for agricultural land management by user organizations of allotment gardens in peri-urban areas. Analyzing the management system of an allotment garden with a garden user organization, the study finds that such organizations can potentially play a role in managing agricultural land in peri-urban settings, and that garden user organizations and their networks contribute to resolving problems related to urban residents' use of agricultural land.

環境省 · 環境省 · Japan

In the Edo period, human waste and ash were stabilized hygienically in 'koidame' pits and traded to surrounding farms as fertilizer, sustaining a regional circular economy that kept cities clean. After WWII, land reform and the spread of chemical fertilizer left human waste with nowhere to go, prompting a shift from the Sanitation Law (1954) to the Waste Management Law (1970); municipal composting facilities built in the 1960s-70s were largely abandoned due to contamination, odor complaints, and the labor burden on aging farmers.

Takashi Watanabe, Makoto Yokohari, Ryuto Matsuzawa · Journal of the City Planning Institute of Japan · Japan (Tokyo)

This study clarified farmers' responses to agricultural activities involving urban residents in Tokyo. The findings showed that over half of the farmers engaged in agricultural activities in cooperation with urban residents, and those enthusiastic about such activities tended to excel in farm management. Furthermore, municipalities within the target area were categorized into three types based on the proportion of farmers conducting agricultural activities with urban residents.

智 藤田, Satoshi FUJITA · Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) · Japan

At Keisen Women's College farm in Japan, the potential of using Low-Input Sustainable Horticulture (LISH) and vegetable gardening as environmental education materials was investigated over 15 years, starting in 1984. The study found that 16 different vegetable varieties could be grown organically, but cucumbers, other fruit/vegetables, and Cruciferae were virtually impossible to grow organically. However, damage could be reduced for some varieties through specific cultivation methods, and the vegetable garden was found to maintain beauty even in cold seasons and provide a suitable hands-on learning experience for environment and food.