Abandonment of Cropland and Seminatural Grassland in a Mountainous Traditional Agricultural Landscape in Japan

Nobuo Imai, Hinata Otokawa, Atsumi Okamoto, Kaito Yamazaki, Takuya Tamura, Tsubasa Sakagami, Shingo Ishizaka and Hijiri Shimojima ()
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Nobuo Imai: Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan
Hinata Otokawa: Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan
Atsumi Okamoto: Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan
Kaito Yamazaki: Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan
Takuya Tamura: Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan
Tsubasa Sakagami: Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan
Shingo Ishizaka: NPO Tama Genryu Kosuge, Kosuge 1911, Kitatsuru-gun 401-0211, Yamanashi, Japan
Hijiri Shimojima: Faculty of Regional Environmental Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Sakuragaoka 1-1-1, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, Japan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: The abandonment of traditional agricultural land is a global phenomenon, especially in mountainous areas. Although there are many mountainous villages where traditional agriculture, based on wild-plant mulching systems, is still practiced in Japan, the extent of land use change in these areas has not been quantitatively assessed. Economic theory predicts the systematic allocation of land to its maximum net value in response to distance from residential centres or demand. We tested this theory to determine whether: (1) grassland and cropland abandonment occurs far from residential centres and (2) new grassland becomes established near residential centres because its products (i.e., wild plants) are essential to traditional agriculture. We interviewed farmers from the traditional mountain village of Kosuge, Japan, to examine land use change at a parcel scale over the period 1940–2019. Our predictions were confirmed in that cropland and grassland were abandoned, while regrowth forests and plantations became established thereafter in the more inaccessible areas, in terms of distance from the village centre and slope aspect. Furthermore, new grassland developed near the centre of the village, leading to the ‘advance’ of grassland into the residential centre. Our results indicate that spatiotemporal patterns of land use change in traditional agricultural landscapes can be predicted and used to inform policies designed to sustainably maintain these landscapes and their ecosystem function.

Keywords: agricultural abandonment; Miscanthus sinensis; Satoyama; steep slope; unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); von Thünen (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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