Sustainable Horticulture with Reference to Fruit Growing in Japan(Sustainable Horticulture, For Further Development of Horticulture in East Asia)
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概要
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Intensive cultivation of land without conservation of soil fertility and soil structure would lead ultimately to the springing up of deserts. Irrigation without arrangements for drainage would result in soils getting alkaline or saline. Indiscriminate use of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides could cause adverse changes in biological balance as well as an increase in the incidence of cancer and other diseases, through the toxic residues being present in food or natural resources. Environment issues in East Asian agriculture possess substantial implications with respect to the sustainability of current means and capacity of agricultural production. Environmental regulations might increase the cost of production and decrease farmers' net returns for some commodities in the new directions in domestic production and international trade. Sustainability takes on growing importance in every phase of agricultural development. With high growth in population, pressures on existing natural resources are becoming severe in East Asia. Intensive cultivation is needed to meet expanding food demand and higher quality, but it also causes severe degradation of the resource base unless new ways of sustainable farming system are developed and adopted. Asian countries, including Japan, have limited arable land for crop and horticultural production and have intensified the land use systems for commercial agricultural production, resulting in environmental degradation which has caused ecological and biological imbalances. It is possible that steps taken to ameliorate this situation would increase production costs and reduce farmers' net return in some commodities in the short run, and thus agricultural policy supports are needed for farmers. Sustainable agricultural system such as in fruit growing should be a positive response to limits and problems of both traditional and modern agriculture. It is neither a return to the past nor a simple dependence on the present technology. It is best viewed as an integrated, nature based agro-ecosystem designed to be self-reliant and resource conserving both in the short and long terms. Finally, sustainable agriculture calls for a greater integration of economic and environmental considerations. Resource degradation and misuse are not purely physical problems requiring only technical solutions. The socio-economic and institutional aspects, including food safety and environmental regulations in each country, should also be addressed in the process of resolving them.
- 1998-11-15