Presentation at 3rd GRF One Health Summit 2015 Session Plenary I: One Health and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

1. Nuclear disaster and a weakened resilience
― Reconstructing agriculture with aged farmers ―
Keiichi ISHII
Tohoku University
Graduate School of Agricultural Science / Faculty of Agriculture
3rd GRF One Health Summit 2015
04-06 October 2015・ Davos・ Switzerland
Plenary 1: One Health and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

2. A aged farmer and his farmland under test cultivation,
Odaka district. 17 Jun,2013
1) Introduction

3. Nuclear Regulation Authority,
Airplane Radiation Monitoring Map,
as of November 7, 2014
http://radioactivity.nsr.go.jp/ja/contents/11000/10349/24/150213_9th_air.pdf
Minamisoma city
Odaka
District
30 ｋｍ
20 ｋｍ
Space dose rate at 1 m
from the surface (μSV/h)
Map 1
Space dose rate is relatively
low in coastal areas.
Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear
Power Station
Restricted area:
April 2011 - April 2012
Zone in preparation for the
lifting of the evacuation order:
April 2012 – March 2016 (?)
2) Current status of recovery and reconstruction

4. Tsunami flooded areas in Minamisoma city
Odaka District
30 km from Fukushima Dai-ichi
Nuclear Power Station
Tsunami flooded areas
20 km from Fukushima Dai-ichi
Nuclear Power Station
Haramachi District
Kashima District
Map 2

5. 南相馬市総合復興計画、2015.3.
（Minamisoma city, Comprehensive Reconstruction Plan）
Number of inhabitants by age in Minamisoma city
（before the disaster and at present）
Figure 1
2) Current status of recovery and reconstruction

6. Intention to return by age
Minamisoma city, survey on the wishes of residents lived in Odaka district. May 2015.
Figure 2
2) Current status of recovery and reconstruction

7. Figure 3
3) Agriculture in the area affected by the nuclear disaster

8. The situation of agriculture in Japan, especially rice production
○ Small scaled structure and aging of farmers
Decline in demand due to change of diet, stable population and aging
⇒Overproduction and lower prices
⇒Low profitability in rice production
Trade agreement negotiation on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
⇒ Future reduction or elimination of tariff barriers on agricultural products
3) Agriculture in the area affected by the nuclear disaster

9. How does small scaled farming continue to exist in rice production?
Group farming system in rice production created by small scaled farmers
⇒Collective investment in machinery
⇒Crop rotation in a village scale
⇒Profit sharing among members
Green: 2010 Soybean (25.2ha)
Yellow: 2011 Soybean (20.7ha)
Red: 2012 Soybean (32.0ha)
Maｐ of rice-soy bean rotation plan in a village scale
Soybean field in 2010 in Odaka district
3) Agriculture in the area affected by the nuclear disaster

10. Discussing the measurement of radiation on the farmland, Odaka district. 29 Nov. 2012

11. Measuring space dose rate on the farm land, Odaka district. 13 Feb. 2013

12. Blocking resilience…
Why does social capital fostered before the disaster remain inactive and why is it
incapable of demonstrating resilience?
1) Passage of time. The period of time during which they are absent from agricultural
activities has been so long…
2) A bad image of action to restart agricultural activities.
3) Poor sales of agricultural products. Even though any radiation which exceeds
regulation levels is not detected in the products under control system.
4) Blocking resilience

13. Standard limits for radioactive cesiums
(Unit : Bq/kg)
Category Limit
Drinking Water 10
Milk 50
General Foods 100
Infants Foods 50
Enforced on April 1, 2012.
6 farmers, 4.5 ha of
rice production
2014 hervested rice screening examination
region： Minami Soma City
periode 2014.9.26～2014.11.27
items 11,442 (1 item = a rice bag of 30kg)
under
lower limit
25～50 51～75 76～100
(<25
Bq/kg)
Bq/kg Bq/kg Bq/kg
Items 11,125 16 1 0 11,142
% 99.85% 0.14% 0.01% 0% 100%
of which,
Odaka Distrikt
under
lower limit
25～50 51～75 76～100
(<25
Bq/kg)
Bq/kg Bq/kg Bq/kg
Items 453 0 0 0 453
% 100% 0% 0% 0% 100%
Source: https://fukumegu.org/ok/kome/
計
計
Table 1
Table 2

14. Blocking resilience…
Why does social capital fostered before the disaster remain inactive and why is it
incapable of demonstrating resilience?
1) Passage of time. The period of time during which they are absent from agricultural
activities has been so long…
2) A bad image of action to restart agricultural activities.
3) Poor sales of agricultural products. Even though any radiation which exceeds
regulation levels is not detected in the products under control system.
4) A lack of public policies considering aged farmers as personnel who can support
local agricultural development...
4) Blocking resilience

15. Agricultural reconstruction and development passing through aged farmers
From the period prior to the disaster, Japanese agriculture have been characterized by
its small scale and aging.
Therefore, principal objective of agricultural policy is to enlarge farm business size and
to promote core famers.
Agricultural reconstruction policies proposed by the government have sought;
to enlarge farm business size rapidly, to improve competitiveness and to construct a model
for next generation agriculture (Master plan of agricultural and rural reconstruction, 2011).
The Fukushima local government has expressed;
agricultural reconstruction in the areas under evacuation orders should demonstrate a
completely new model of agriculture and establish a new frontier of Japanese agriculture.
(Vision for Revitalization in Fukushima Prefecture, 2011)
4) Blocking resilience

16. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Annual Report on Food,
Agriculture and Rural Areas in Japan. 2013, 2014.
What is a model for next generation agriculture ?
For example, high technology and enlarged farmland…

17. Concluding remarks:
-Can aged farmers be actors for “Build Back Better”-
There are (many…？) aged farmers who want to try to restart small scale rice
production and subsistence agriculture.
How we make their willingness realized would be crucial for locally effective recovery
and reconstruction.
Not only the agricultural reconstruction in line with industrial policies, but we need to
think of agricultural activities within the usual lifestyle.
5) Concluding remarks

18. Reference Works regarding Agricultural Activities
Bachev Harabin, Ito Fusao.,
March 2011 Earthquake, Tsunami, and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.
Impacts on Japanese Agriculture and Food Sector.
LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 400 pages, 2015.
* They used abundant data and described events on food sectors from production to consumption after
the disaster.
Ishii Keiichi, Morlans Shantala.,
La reprise des activités agricoles dans les régions contaminées. Après
l’accident de Fukushima. Géographie et cultures n°86 «Désastres et alimentation : le défies japonais»,
L’Harmattan, pp.65-82, 2014.
* They observed actions taken by some farmers to restart their agricultural activities just after the
Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear disaster.

19. Thank you for your attention