Agriculture corporations in rural Japan: fractured mirrors of past, present and future

Abstract

In order to increase productivity in national agricultural land and help depopulated villages with aging farmers, current agricultural policy in Japan rewards small farmers who contribute their land to agriculture corporations in which they own shares, have a vote, and labor in the fields for a low wage. Membership is individual, and the sacred link between household and land is virtually cut. Akata, a small village in northeast Japan, has formed agriculture corporations that result in tensions, new alignments, and marginalizations that are well captured by Foucault’s concept of heterotopia: a displacement and regrowth that juxtapose villagers’ pasts, presents, and futures in disruptive yet creative ways. An anthropological analysis unearths social nuances bridging new roles and older connections.

Keywords:

• Japan
• agriculture corporations
• farming
• villages
• heterotopia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We were told that the price of rice had been cut by more than half in the recent decade.

2 Certified independent farmers can become family-based corporations and can join other agricultural groups as a member, which allows these groups to gain support through the independent farmer that they could not otherwise obtain.

3 According to a national survey, there are a total of 14,832 village-based farming organizations in 2020, of which the total number of agricultural corporations (nōgyōhōjin) is 5458, up 3% from the year before. A quarter of agricultural corporations have 10-18 farm households. The Tohoku region in northern Honshu, of which Akata is a part, has the most, with 3325 village-based farming organizations (MAFF 2020).

4 The government has subsidized the building of such farmers’ markets, but in this case, the group has wanted to stay independent from the government, financing a mobile building outside the village community hall.

5 This independent farmer sells his crops to the JA or Agricultural Cooperative and accepts their evaluation of quality and their price.

6 This processing center has government licenses to process mountain vegetables and mushrooms. This group has received government funding under the program for “sixth industries” that encourages farmers to process and sell crops. They sell to a supermarket in Chiba Prefecture.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nancy Rosenberger

Nancy Rosenberger is a professor emeritus in Anthropology at Oregon State University. She is author or editor of Japanese Sense of Self, Gambling with Virtue, and Dilemmas of Adulthood. Her research interests in Japan include changing rural life, organic farming, gender, and food.

Ayumi Sugimoto

Ayumi Sugimoto is an associate professor at Akita International University.