Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

SPECIFICITIES OF GLOBALIZATION 1491. Conservation of agrarian culture and food self-relianceSmall farmers who practice sustainable agriculture inJapan acknowledged that the idea of conserving localfood culture comes from family farm productionwhich aims at food self-sufficiency for the farm family.Sustainable agriculture is practiced for the purpose offood self-sufficiency in good quality, pesticide-free food,while at the same time conserving the environment,soil and water. Thus, sustainable agriculture providesfood security, with the surplus for sale as income forthe family. Families practicing sustainable agriculturemay process food from the materials found on thefarm. For example, Mr. Furuno processes some freshproducts, such as duck or vegetables, into local food.Mr. Shimpei makes sembe (local bread) from rice, whileMr. Kitahara, a Hokkaido producer of organic onions,produces an onion-based salad dressing. Based onfamily consumption, sustainable agriculture productionhas to be diverse and plant and animal production mustbe integrated. What is produced will depend on thesize of families and the family’s demands for food andincome.Indonesian farmers also practice sustainable agriculturein rice-based communities. The traditional culture ofthe farming community, where farmers produce mainlyfor household consumption, still exists. Althoughfarmers grow rice two or three times in a year, theyalso grow many other kinds of crops. They normallydivide their land into a plot to grow cassava, chiliesand peanuts, and in some plots, they grow fruit trees.They also raise animals in their backyards. This patternwas adapted from the traditional farming practicesof farmers in Ngawi District, East Java. The farmersof Wonogiri District, Central Java, practice a systemof growing multi-purpose trees mixed with peanuts,soybean, maize and cassava. The system is designedbased on the local eco-system and the limitation ofwater shortages in rice farming. In some villages, thefarmers grow many local varieties of beans. They alsohave good cultivation plans. Because of the limited sizeof their land holdings, they grow many kinds of plantsboth at the same time and at different times. In this way,farmers have food for consumption all year round. Thisagricultural pattern is designed to respond to their ownfamily’s needs. They are able to produce enough foodfor consumption and to provide some income fromthe farm. This can be considered the rural economy ofsmall farmers. This system is the basis of food securityfor the family and the community. This study foundthat the community produces a surplus of food and thatfarmers also have a system of storing rice for the nextseason, and have other food crops for consumption,such as corn and potatoes. This is the cultural practicein all communities. These communities have enoughfood and they are part of an economic system that usesboth cash and rice. They divide their produce into threeparts, one for the family’s consumption, one part forbuilding social capital and the third part for sale. Themain problem that these Indonesian farmers faced isincome insecurity.2. Establishment of a local food systemFarmers practicing sustainable agriculture set upactivities that link themselves with consumers or developlocal markets. These systems take many forms. Farmersand consumers in Japan have created an interesting andinnovative local food system. It is called the teikei 3 systemwhich takes the form of a direct relationship betweenfarmers and consumers. This system allows farmersto produce food and send it directly to consumers.The consumers learn and understand the productionpatterns, and support the producers. Communicationis important. The producers provide informationabout their produce for each week and share storiesabout the limited number of products. Sometimes,there are suggestions on food processing. Some groupsorganize activities for consumers. For example, in Mieprefecture, farmers groups organize miso-making forurban housewife groups. In some areas, they have asystem of product exchange, such as trading vegetablesfor soybean starch that one of the farmers interviewed,Mr. Kaneko, uses to make compost. Farmers alsodevelop delivery services on their own or through aservice company. On special occasions, farmers maysend small gifts to the consumers with whom they havea relationship. Mr. Shimpei, for example, sends a smallbag of sticky rice.Cooperatives are another way of managing productionand establishing a relationship with consumers. Thefarmers sell their organic products to a distributioncenter, such as the network of the Ainou KaiDistribution Center. There are many cooperatives inthe network, and these are found in Osaka, Nagoyaand at Ainou Kai. At Nagoya Center, the farmers setup the cooperative because, at the initial stage, farmersfaced marketing problems since their organic productslooked bad compared to products grown with agrochemicals.Consumers did not want to buy organicproducts. The farmers, through their cooperativeactivities, provided consumers with information onorganic production and create a better understandingof the system. Other cooperative systems have beenorganized by consumers, while some cooperativesmobilize themselves as small cooperatives to sell organicproducts and environmental protection goods, such asthe case of Green Co-op in Fukuoka prefecture. OtherAsian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows