Event Title
Transformation of stone-wall strawberry cultivation to agri-tourism in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Description
The commercial production of strawberries on rock walls occurs only in one place in Japan owing to unique geographic conditions. This industry has gone through many changes since the beginning of the 20th century. The purpose of this paper is to first describe how rock-wall strawberry farming has evolved along the Pacific coast in present-day Shizuoka City. Second, this paper examines how the industry is currently managed. Finally, it discusses the future viability of rock-wall strawberry farming. The authors interviewed farmers, agricultural co-operative employees and city officials in May 2006 and June 2007. A detailed land-use map of the area based on field observations was also created. Rock-wall strawberry farming started as a way of producing off-season strawberries to ship to urban markets as far as Tokyo. Since the 1960s U-pick farming has been the main form of production, with tourists each paying a flat fee to eat as many strawberries as they wish. The long-term future of rock-wall strawberry farming is uncertain as there appear to be few young farm successors. Therefore, there may be some consolidation of these rock-wall operations. For now the local rock-wall strawberry U-pick association has an important role to play in sustaining U-pick operations.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
8-3-2008 8:00 AM
Subject - LCSH
Strawberry industry--Management--Japan--Shizuoka-ken; Agritourism--Japan--Shizuoka-ken;
End Date
8-3-2008 5:00 PM
Session
Resource Management: International
Genre/Form
abstracts (summaries)
Type
event
Geographic Coverage
Shizuoka-ken (Japan)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Keywords
agri-tourism, stone-wall strawberries, u-pick farms, Kuno area of Shizuoka City
Transformation of stone-wall strawberry cultivation to agri-tourism in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
The commercial production of strawberries on rock walls occurs only in one place in Japan owing to unique geographic conditions. This industry has gone through many changes since the beginning of the 20th century. The purpose of this paper is to first describe how rock-wall strawberry farming has evolved along the Pacific coast in present-day Shizuoka City. Second, this paper examines how the industry is currently managed. Finally, it discusses the future viability of rock-wall strawberry farming. The authors interviewed farmers, agricultural co-operative employees and city officials in May 2006 and June 2007. A detailed land-use map of the area based on field observations was also created. Rock-wall strawberry farming started as a way of producing off-season strawberries to ship to urban markets as far as Tokyo. Since the 1960s U-pick farming has been the main form of production, with tourists each paying a flat fee to eat as many strawberries as they wish. The long-term future of rock-wall strawberry farming is uncertain as there appear to be few young farm successors. Therefore, there may be some consolidation of these rock-wall operations. For now the local rock-wall strawberry U-pick association has an important role to play in sustaining U-pick operations.