Rice is a staple food particularly in Asia. Almost 70% (1960s basis) world population live in Asia and rely much on rice as main food. There were many starving peoples. The elder generations may remember the term Green revolution, in which International Rice Research Institute, so-called IRRI, contributed much through breeding high-yield varieties such as IR8 and IR 36. Because of these varieties and modern technologies as well as much effort payed by each countries, rice production increased drastically and many starving persons are saved.
Why rice can feed so many peoples in a narrow Asian land? One of the answer is that rice can grow every year in the same paddy field without land rotation. Rotation cropping need more than 3 to 5 times wider field than paddy field cropping: you are not able to have a choice other than rice so far as paddy field is concerned. Water lodged fields suppress insect and disease damages due to the effect of reduced soil chemical condition. Number of weed species becomes very limited and less competition may occur with water adopted rice. Natural water supply delivers various minerals effective for plants. Because of these big advantages, the paddy field is easily accepted in the Asian narrow land usage. Another word, only rice can feed starving people in Asia. If you prefer meat-eating, much wider land is required for the grazing.
Except for the plantation farming, a family is the basis of traditional Asian farming.
End-farm want to follow Asian style farming at least we try to do.
There are still many starving peoples in the world. The primally role of agriculture is to provide enough foods for everybody regardless of their income; not necessarily only for the rich. Looking out over the present organic practice or reduced chemical use, only limited and special persons can get these benefits. Another words, these techniques are not sufficient to reach all peoples. All person has a right to accept the advantage of science-based technology. The edible plants on earth should be distributed to minimize the starvation. In view of this, End-Farm want to employ the most advanced available techniques for the best food production, particularly for rice. Please enjoy our nice taste. Thank you.
Do not work in full time but a half effort in agriculture. I read a book like this title ( in Japanese ). End-farm want to manage the farm not only for increasing income but also for invaluable happiness. When I came back home from my research life, I equipped my study condition beside my farm management. At the same time my life started again with my parents. I have looked after my parents more than 10 years. I do not know if they were happy or not, but I am sure I was/am happy to live together through their final life. Small farming in a slow passage of time is really good for my enjoyable life.
Refference
Half Farming and another half as X(2014) Shiomi Naoki Chikuma_Bunko (Japanese)
Slow down & Free life & Downshifters（2014）Kousaka Nasaru Chikuma Bunko (Japanese)
The capital style life is dangerous for the well-aged persons. Almost 8 - 10% of over 65 years suffer dementia. The dementia suffering persons have a habit of wandering. If they can wander safely at their convenience, it is really a paradise.
My father suffered dementia with levy bodies. He had a symptom named hallucination and sometimes wandered. Once he missed his way and was found by the fire service men. He was lucky to come back with no damage. End-farm situates like this countryside. Wherever you walk along the paddy fields, the traffic is not so busy. If dementia suffering persons can wander freely, we are very happy. In reality, however, there are many waterways, even a rare traffic the car does drive, the road is not flat, and there are many other dangers. If my dream comes true, End-farm area will be a paradise. Thank you.
Here I will focus on rice farmers because rice has been treated as a special land tax in the Edo era and as a governmental monopoly even until a couple of decades ago.
After some twists and turns, Japanese government recommends large scale farming such as starting the agricultural company and the management group or corporation, including a sixth sector company. According to their scheme, the larger the farming scale the more they can employ staffs and equip machinery. As a result, the bigger cost-down will be expected and the price of agricultural products becomes cheaper, then Japanese rice can compete with USA or Australia. Following their scenario, many farmers started the agricultural company. Agricultural subsidy by government, of cause, support and lead their proper direction.
Now, after the several years practice, many rice growing companies go larger scale of farming. These companies are called agricultural “production” company. The reason why they emphasize the term “production” is miracle, yet they want to distinguish the production company from pre-existing Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, so called JA, which does not concern farming itself but owes the product-sales.
The rice production company equips many big machineries and employs many staffs. Does the farming cost become lower? Does the purchase price become cheaper? I think the answer is No. These companies felt into debt or money loan to equip new machinery and keeping many staffs. The circulation of debt chain becomes a heavy load without enjoying farming by themselves. I wonder how many these production companies are the management surplus if governmental subsidy is cut off.
The land-scale effect will be realized, if the investment is well balanced, however, it is not in reality. One of the reasons lies in Japanese land scale itself: Japanese land unit is the hector (ha) basis, while the land unit of USA or Australia is the acre basis.
1acre＝ almost 0.4ha＝ 40 a
Japanese farmer owns an average 70a（ a bit less than 2 acre）farmland, excluding Hokkaido area. The average land ownership is only 1 ha, even if Hokkaido is included, whereas that of USA surpasses 100 acres: 251 ha in 2013 according to the USDA based report. In addition, single paddy field size is 20a-50a even a well-arranged field. Can you catch the difference?
If you own a 100 acre, for example as easy computation, more than 50 farmer's land should be gathered. Can you imagine very big machine works on a small land then moves to the next field, repeating more than 50 times? When the next field is a bit far, driving time on road might be longer the machine job in the field. In contrast to Japanese condition, USA machine can easily go work 100 acres without moving field to field.
A 6-raws harvesting combine, for example in Japan, costs about 15,000,000 yen. You need more stuffs for supporting effective machinery job. Other than the harvest operation, many big-machines work from seeding and transplanting through post-harvest job. The total cost of machinery eventually shoulders on themselves as a heavy load.
Look at our small farming. Japanese old-style farming is the family basis: they equip minimum small machines, do jobs by the family unit. Small machine, for example 3 row harvesting combine cost 3,500,000 yen, is sufficient enough to handle 1-3 ha as we do. Each family has 2 to 4 staffs, eventually counting 100 to 400 staffs in 50 farms. It seems clear which case contributes more to the cost-down. Total staff engagement might be larger.
The smaller the machine engine is the less carbon-dioxide emission. It will be softer to the environment than the big exhaust-machine working. Actually less than 30 horse powered engine is out of environmental regulation in Japan.
It will be noteworthy that you are not necessary to owe 10% consumption tax so far as buying our products, because of our small sales; less than annual 10,000,000 yen. But It will not be so welcome by the tax collecting Japanese government. Thank you.
