Approach from a Water Management System for the Conservation of Farmlands in Hilly and Mountainous Villages

As the population in hilly and mountainous areas declines and ages, and the amount of abandoned farmland increases, the Japanese government is proposing a distinction between farmland that will continue to be managed as before and farmland that will be converted to extensive management. However, a simple changeover to extensive management may lead to a further increase in the amount of abandoned farmland, so it is important to have sufficient discussion among local residents. In this study, I conducted a case study in the Yoshi district of Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture. I aimed to present a feasible farmland classification for a small community in a hilly and mountainous area that reflects farmersʼ actual perspectives, and to propose a method for building consensus to support this purpose. Paddy fields have the character of both private property and common property, including water management system. Therefore, I developed a method to divide the paddy fields in the Yoshi district into smaller, cooperative water management systems and to formulate management policies for each system. As a result, the issues discussed became concrete and a smooth consensus was reached on the classification of farmland. The reasons for this may include the fact that the water management system classification was easy for farmers to understand, the water management system classification was consistent with the existing discussion framework, and a rural RMO (region management organization) had been established to determine the farmland management policy for the entire district. This approach can be applied to agricultural communities in other hilly and mountainous areas.