(Q) Should agriculture and forestry be regarded as simply economic
production
activities?
(Uesugi) My answer is no. While agriculture and forestry are clearly
production work,they retain a crucial role in fulfilling a variety of public, national and
societal responsibilities. I
call these roles collectively the "variety of functions and roles played by
agriculture and
forestry". The government has now followed my lead, introducing the concept
of "multiple
functions" (See Footnote 1).
Yet, unfortunately, the roles of agriculture and forestry are barely
recognized by the
average person. Urban dwellers, even scholars and legislators, tend to see
urban cities as totally
the opposite of agricultural and forestry communities. I have opposed this
view as well. Cities
and rural communities are complementary to one another by nature. Take the
water issue, for
instance. Urban areas are not able to supply water for both living and
industrial activities by
themselves. Tokyo is definitely incapable of doing so. It is the dense
forest that retains water
resources to begin with, and without a variety of forestry and agricultural
activities, these
resources cannot be sustained. Forests, agricultural fields and rice
paddies all have a role in
adjusting and regulating the flow of water to prevent floods and other
natural disasters such as
river overflows or mud slides.
The underlying foundation of any nation is its land. And this land must
be managed and
maintained by agricultural and forestry practitioners. The task of these
people should not be
valued for mere profitability but also from a much broader viewpoint,
taking the above noted
functions and roles into consideration. Otherwise, the healthy development
of Japan's land is just
"pie in the sky."
(Footnote 1): multi- function. "The New Fundamental Law of Food,
Agriculture and
Agricultural Communities, Article 3: All effects on preservation of land,
water resources, the
natural environment, scenic beauty and cultural heritage caused by the
production of agricultural
activities beyond mere food production are defined as the variety of
functions beyond food
production (hereafter called multi- function), which must be assured for the
future." |
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