5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
[HTT15-P10] Revival and Conservation of the Slash-and-burn Agriculture, Using Koba-saku in Tsushima Island as An Example
Keywords:Slash-and-burn, Tsushima, Agriculture, Koba-saku, GIS
Koba-saku is a farming method unique to Tsushima Island, Nagasaki, Japan, in which charcoal is burned on the slopes of mountains. This method involves burning vegetation, applying fertilizer, and cultivating agricultural products, such as sweet potatoes and buckwheat. Because 90% of the island covered with mountains, the limited arable land renders koba-saku an excellent farming method for Tsushima. This technique not only has averted famine but also supported the sato-yama environment. The koba-saku environment, rich in small animals such as rats, which serve as prey for the Tsushima leopard cat, fosters a favorable habitat for this endangered species. Thus, koba-saku cultivates both human lives and harmonious coexistence with nature. However, as the post-war food shortage was resolved, koba-saku gradually faded, with reports indicating its complete discontinuation after the 1960s. Former koba-saku sites have often been replaced by cedar and cypress plantations.
This study aimed to take koba-saku as an example to identify the revival of the slash-and-burn agriculture in Japan, and make suggestions to preserve the cultural landscape associated with food. First, using national land data obtained from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, aerial photographs shots approximately every 10 years from the 1950s in Tsushima will be compared, possible koba-saku sites will be estimated, and the transition to tree planting will be clarified. Next, digital national land information data are integrated into the Geographic Information System and the results from aerial photographs will be verified to generate detailed land-use change maps of Tsushima. In addition, based on an on-site visit to Shingu Farm, the origin of Tsushima's koba-saku, and the interview with the farm's operator, this study will summarize the current situation and the current conservation methods of koba-saku in Tsushima, and make recommendations for problems it faces.
Summarizing the above results, this study will serve as part of a study about food-related cultural landscape in Tsushima Island. Furthermore, this study serves as an example of Japanese cultural landscape related to food, showcasing the country's intangible cultural heritage and properties.
This study aimed to take koba-saku as an example to identify the revival of the slash-and-burn agriculture in Japan, and make suggestions to preserve the cultural landscape associated with food. First, using national land data obtained from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, aerial photographs shots approximately every 10 years from the 1950s in Tsushima will be compared, possible koba-saku sites will be estimated, and the transition to tree planting will be clarified. Next, digital national land information data are integrated into the Geographic Information System and the results from aerial photographs will be verified to generate detailed land-use change maps of Tsushima. In addition, based on an on-site visit to Shingu Farm, the origin of Tsushima's koba-saku, and the interview with the farm's operator, this study will summarize the current situation and the current conservation methods of koba-saku in Tsushima, and make recommendations for problems it faces.
Summarizing the above results, this study will serve as part of a study about food-related cultural landscape in Tsushima Island. Furthermore, this study serves as an example of Japanese cultural landscape related to food, showcasing the country's intangible cultural heritage and properties.