• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.357-373
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• 2006

The study aims to explore the individual and group agreement of the direct payment of less-favored areas in Japan. This study was conducted by literature review, specialist interview and field visiting. The results of this study were as follows. First, direct payment policy in Japan was consisted of three components which were to maintaining multiple functions, to reorient agriculture sector, and to revitalizing the community activities. Second, the purposes of direct payments with conversion program is to reorient agriculture and revitalize the community activities which were changed from sustaining existing agriculture. Third, the conditions of group agreement is to make a agreement that a group of farmers should make a five-year agreement stipulating activities necessary to prevent the abandonment of farmland and to be more than one hector, and good agricultural practice or other activities favorable or friendly to environment should be implemented. As individual and group agreement, the land area of direct payment was 662,000 ha in less favored areas. In conclusion after direct payment in less favored areas, the abandonment of farmland was mitigated, and the agricultural production activities and community activities had become more vigorous through the discussion for planning their own land in the village.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.8 no.3 s.17
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• pp.25-32
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to define the concept of Hilly/Mountainous and Less-Favored Areas from the viewpoint of agricultural infrastructure, and to establish selection criteria and categorize of that areas. Using three type guidelines which were the rates of forest(above 50%), farmhouse population(above 50%) and infrastructure improvement(below 50%), the regions of 605 Eup Myon were selected to Hilly/Mountainous and Less-Favored Area. And for applying to regional development planning, the legions of eup myon were classified 4 types using average of the rate of forest and aged farmhouse population(75%, 17.5%). To conserve the farmland in Hilly/Mountainous and Less-Favored Areas, it requires continuous research on systematic approach method. Especially, it is necessary to investigate a development formula according to farmland scale and desolated degree through analysis of the actual condition of farmland.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.107-112
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• 2009

In Japan, the direct payment scheme for mountainous areas was introduced in order to enhance multifunctionality of less-favored areas in 2000. A comprehensive ex post assessment showed that the scheme effectively contributed to prevention of abandoned cultivated lands, maintenance and enhancement of multifunctionality of agriculture, continuous assistance for agricultural production, and revitalization of community. In 2005 a second round of the scheme started and urged encouraging core farmers, improving productivity, and reinforcing inter-village coalition as to promote autonomous and sustainable rural economies. A new different scheme such as 'measures to conserve and improve land, water and environment' was launched for strengthening conservation and management of rural resources over all areas in 2007. It covers one third of paddy fields with regards to maintenance of water facilities and practice of group eco-farming beyond less-favored area. A lot of public programs have been developed for rural revitalization recently. Additionally some have a complementary role to enlarging cultural multifunctionality in rural societies. We could interpret the institutional progress as an evolutionary path of rural development and environmental schemes for the past decade. Much experience of community works through the direct payment scheme for mountainous areas may have resulted in accumulation of social competence for elaboration of rural management..

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.99-106
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• 2009

In the rural communities in less-favored areas (mainly hilly and mountainous areas) in Japan, the number of settlements which cannot maintain the community functions by themselves has been increasing because of the progress of depopulation and aging, so the necessity for achieving mutual supplementation of the community function by the settlement reorganization has been increasing. This paper consists of the following three points. 1) General view of settlement reorganization policy in Japan. 2) Case study of the T district in Japan. 3) Possibility of the settlement reorganization by the policy measures which obligate community members to work together. Main results are as follows. 1) There are several settlement reorganization policy measures, but many are still the model project stage, and not yet spread, so it is necessary to wait and see how these measures will develop. 2) The number of the residents of small-scale aging settlements who do not hope for the reorganization, nor feel the necessity of reorganization shall not be few. This will make great difficulty in the settlement reorganization process. 3) A local area activity promotion conference which derives from a former administrative unit like a former village has many functions to the settlement reorganization. 4) In the rural communities in less-favored areas, the policy measures which obligate community members to work together have widely spread. These are expected to play the supplemental role for the settlement reorganization. It is necessary to discuss among residents the activation plan and the future vision of the community, as well as to discuss the settlement reorganization.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.8 no.3 s.17
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• pp.15-23
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• 2002

The study was performed to establish a criteria which can be served as a reference in preparing upland direct payment program in Korea, by analyzing WTO agreement content and by studying about direct payment program in EU and Japan and by slope analysis using GIS. Slope analysis using GIS was operated by 1/5000 digital map, and a field survey was put in practice, and merits and demerits were deduced. We can propose a criteria to select the disadvantaged areas in aspects of physical condition, farming condition. and economical and social condition is important to regionally classify "less-favored area(LFA)" and LFA division by economical and social condition is needed to identify legally. Therefore, we would propose a criteria which can select "less-favored area" by analyzing WTO agreement content and by studying about direct payment program in EU and Japan and slope analysis using GIS and a field survey.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.10 no.3 s.24
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• pp.9-18
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• 2004

As a supplier of ecotourism, local people are vital for its successful development of ecotourism in Less Favored Mountainous Area(LFMA). A survey was carried on to investigate the residents' attitudes toward ecotourism development. In addition, an Importance-Performance Analysis(IPA) of resources for ecotourism was carried out. Major results are: First, cognition of residents fur environmentally friendly approach in tourism development, was very high (76.1 %). And appreciations of residents towards ecotourism were also high(more than 50%), Recently, the understanding of ecotourism is highly increasing. Second, ecotourism development was highly accepted(63%) as a desirable tourism development. And 65% of respondents showed willingness of participation to ecotourism development. Third, valleys were cognized as major ecotourism resources, and as a result of IPA, (unique) plant community, eco-villages, and habitats of wildlifes were in the category of 'Concentrate Here'.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.37-52
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• 2000

Generally speaking, the metropolitan agricultural regions have some advantages from the high accessibility to markets. But agriculture inevitably rests on the biological process. This study shows what characteristics of the agricultural management are found in these less favored metropolitan areas with bad natural conditions and how farm household live there. From the view point of farm household, the quality of labors they can get is quite low, and insufficient in quantity. The shortage of labor can be made up for the farming on Trust Farming System And the relatively less favored agricultural conditions prevent people from immigrating into these kind of areas, if they don't have any relationship with there. With bad natural conditions, the farm households usually cultivate relatively small areas for the purpose of self-sufficiency, and with smaller cultivating units(Baemi) of the land than in open fields. The scale of the agricultural management is largely affected by the ages of agricultural managers. The more aged the managers are, the smaller scale of the agricultural management. How to use lands is determined in accordance with the natural conditions such as percentage of sunshine and accessibility to drainage facilities -the two major factors- and more. Either owner-run farmlands or leased farmlands doesn't show any difference in each growing crops. Depending on the conditions of the lands, rice paddy is used for growing rice and field is used for growing self sufficient plants including vegetables for the farm household. Although the lack of infrastructure causes the inconvenience of living, and there exist less favored agricultural conditions, this kind of life and agricultural management style -self-sufficiency type- seems to be sustained quite longer. The less favored natural conditions for farming keeps the agricultural management style from being developed to be the level of commercialization. And the poor economic situation of farmers are continuing again and again. With the result of this study, there should be two conditions to be established previously if they want to develop these regions. First, each farm household should get to know of the importance of commercialization and try to spread it. The commercialization. should be attained through the expansion of the environmental friendly agriculture and the improvement of the previously established distribution system of the crops. Secondly, there should be a support from the government. The support will include the expansion of the infrastructures for fanning to improve the fanning conditions and the compensation system directly from the government to the farmers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.89-97
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• 2009

In less favored areas, it is getting more difficult to manage Satoyama according to aging of rural residents and depopulation. Some support of urban residents are necessary for management of Satoyama. In this paper, the role of Satoyama management activities was clarified through the analysis of the feature of activities for managing Satoyama. The questionnaire and interview surveys were done in order to clarify the actual conditions for management of Satoyama and activities of urban residents who are participating in NPO in Hyogo Prefecture. The results of analysis are as follows. (1)The form of rural-urban exchange in Satoyama is different in each Satoyama. (2)The urban residents are contributing to the region very much on both sides of the manager and the visitor in Satoyama. (3)Many urban residents visit Satoyama for the purpose of enjoying the variety of nature and culture programs in rural area. (4)There are some urban residents who participate in activities for managing Satoyama even if Satoyama is far from their residence. So it is important for rural residents to arrange the condition that they can visit rural area without difficulty.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.128-135
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• 2014

Background: With ageing and growing importance of disease management system, it is necessary to investigate the extent of regional difference in service utilization for chronic diseases among the elderly and to reflect it in designing the system. Methods: A multiple regression analysis and descriptive statistics analyses were employed using patient survey, which covers nationwide health facilities and their users. Results: While the differences in the rate of service utilization/utilization outside living area between urban and rural areas or between income levels are not large, considerable variations are observed within urban or rural areas and within income groups. Conclusion: This results suggest that it is important to subsidize economically disadvantaged segments of the population and residents of less-favored areas to be better-equipped for chronic disease management in order to prevent the development of severe ailments and the need for treatment at higher-level medical institutions. Improvements to the service infrastructure in vulnerable regions are essential.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.81-87
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• 2009

It may be said that a farmer's crisis deepens from the number of farm households and a trend of the number of cultivated land of the farmer attracting attention for the most fundamental numerical value of the Census of Agriculture 2005. A rate of decline of number of farm households seems to have been stopped, but expansion lasts a number of farm households rate of decline. I can, so to speak, watch weakening of flatland area and luck of mountainous areas and a situation to say if I look in that according to classification agricultural area. I can nominate the effect of a direct payment system for farmers in hilly and mountainous areas enforced in 2000 for the background. It is located in case of the policy introduced preceding it while the rural community and the community including the urban area being paid attention as the last resort of a regional reproduction now. In particular, the character as the village activation subsidy has been strengthened in case of the 2nd stage institutional revise.