著者

Hiroaki MARUYAMA Takaaki NIHEI Yasuyuki NISHIWAKI

出版者

The Association of Japanese Geographers

雑誌

地理学評論 (ISSN:13479555)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.78, no.5, pp.289-310, 2005-04-01 (Released:2008-12-25)

参考文献数

32

被引用文献数

3 4

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The Brazilian Pantanal, the world's largest wetland holding abundant wildlife, has recently drawn profound concern about the development of the tourist industry. To provide significant proposals for ecotourism in the wetland, we believe that detailed data acquired by fieldwork is requisite, This study examines the regional bases that carry regional ecotourism, and attempts to present some proposals for ecotourism from the case of the north Pantanal. The results are shown as follows in order of regional scale. (1) In the water source of the Pantanal, Cerrado region, it is necessary to make efficient plans to control recent agricultural development, especially in soybean and cotton production. (2) On the wetland level, legally protected areas such as national parks and RPPN (Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural) should be extended. (3) On the municipal level, environmental subsidies are needed for disused goldmines, and for the maintenance of tourist infrastructures such as Transpantaneira and MT 370. (4) Modern hotels and eco-lodges need to provide ecotourism organized by local people, and to equip the facilities with adequate sewage facilities and garbage recycle plants to preserve the natural environment.

著者

Takaaki NIHEI

出版者

The Association of Japanese Geographers

雑誌

地理学評論 (ISSN:13479555)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.75, no.5, pp.324-343, 2002-04-01 (Released:2008-12-25)

参考文献数

27

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The mechanism to sustain the recent greenhouse horticulture in Asahi City was examined by focusing on the adoption of technological innovations. Vegetable production in greenhouses increased from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. After the development period, the number of greenhouse farms and the area of greenhouse facilities stabilized. Greenhouse farms at present hold two generations of family farm wokers and 37a greenhouses on average, and carry multiple management of greenhouse vegetables and paddy rice. The success of their greenhouse management has been ensured by adopting new technological innovations one after another. The adoption of floriculture and new cultivars of vegetables represent the innovations. In the early stages of diffusion, a few farms with successors introduced flowers and new cultivars. The vigorous young pioneers gathered information on new technology from extensive areas through the production groups outside the city, nursery companies and wholesale markets. The diversity of greenhouse crops brought by the pioneers saved some farms' management from suffering from crop injuries through continuous cropping.

著者

Takaaki NIHEI

出版者

The Association of Japanese Geographers

雑誌

Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, no.1, pp.47-61, 2001-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)

参考文献数

50

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Examining agricultural efficiency in terms of energy balance will be a first step in helping to find a solution to the sustainable development of agriculture, and to environmental problems such as the exploitation of natural resources especially in developed countries. This study attempts to define regional energy efficiency based on the regional input-output energy ratio (output/input), which is calculated by the input fossil fuel energy and output food energy of all crops produced in a region. It also investigates the changes in regional energy efficiency of the prefectures in Japan from 1970 to 1990. By inspecting typical combinations of crops, the regional energy efficiency, which will be an index for examining the temporal and spatial changes of regional crop production, is divided into four categories: high (regional input-output energy ratio: more than 2.7 in 1970 and 1990), middle (1.8-2.6 in 1970, 1.7-2.6 in 1990), low (0.7-1.7 in 1970, 0.7-1.6 in 1990) and very low (under 0.6 in 1970 and 1990). Applying these categories to the prefectural level, specific features were seen in the decrease of the prefectures with middle efficiency in the southern Kanto Region and the appearance of prefectures with very low efficiency in the southeastern part of Japan over two decades. It is considered that the decline of energy efficiency was caused mainly due to the increase in the percentage of greenhouse crops planted in the prefectures that are active in the production of paddy rice and horticultural crops. The emergence of the prefectures with very low efficiency in 1990 also implies that intensive crop production reinforces the impact on the natural environment by the usage of fossil fuel energy especially in the region that has high economic land productivity.

著者

Takaaki NIHEI

出版者

The Association of Japanese Geographers

雑誌

Geographical review of Japan, Series B (ISSN:02896001)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.73, no.1, pp.27-45, 2000-06-30 (Released:2008-12-25)

参考文献数

31

被引用文献数

1 1

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Graduate student, Institute of Geoscience, University of Tsukuba, Abstract: A large amount of fossil fuel energy is used in modern agriculture. From an ecological aspect, the fossil fuel energy fixed in industrial products such as chemical fertilizers and herbicides makes agriculture inefficient. Agricultural practice needs to be aware of energy efficiency to implement low input management and to reduce the environmental impact. This study demonstrates a method of calculating the input-output energy ratio for 32 crops and examines the changes in the energy efficiency of crop production in Japan from 1970 to 1990. The results at the country level show that the input-output energy ratio changed from 2.0 to 1.2 in the two decades. The primary reason for this decline is due to the increase in the planted area of greenhouse vegetables, whose input-output energy ratio is 0.02-0.07. The secondary reason for this decline is due to the decrease in the planted area of paddy rices, whose input-output energy ratio is 2.5-3.1. The results at the prefecture level show that the input-output energy ratio declines especially in Kochi, Kumamoto and Okinawa prefecture, whose percentages of planted area of greenhouse vegetables are more than three times larger than the average for all the prefectures. The results presented also imply that agriculture in Japan has increased its impact on the natural environment through an increased use of fossil fuel energy.