The government plans to update its list of the 100 finest tanada, or terraced rice paddies, in Japan, in a bid to preserve traditional landscapes.
Tanada are mostly found in mountainous areas. The current list was created 22 years ago to help protect them, but some of the 134 locations it contains have since fallen into bad condition.
As part of the selection process, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry will require agricultural cooperatives and tourism companies to participate in the maintenance and management of tanada. It will also establish a new program calling for private companies to become supporters of the new list.
The current lineup was selected in July 1999 from 117 municipalities, based on discussions at a ministry's experts panel. It includes the Maruyama Senmaida (1,000 tanada) in the Maruyama district in Kumano, Mie Prefecture, one of the largest in Japan.
The long-term maintenance and conservation of these tanada was encouraged for the purpose of landscape preservation and the passing on of Japan's farming culture. However, they involve a great deal of manual labor, as large agricultural machinery cannot be used in tanada. Japan's farmers are also increasingly elderly, and tanada in some areas have been abandoned.
In addition to farmers' participation, the new requirements for selection will include the involvement of local governments, agricultural cooperatives, and private companies in the field of tourism and commerce, to ensure that tanada continue to be preserved.
Evaluations will also take into account whether there is any brand-name rice production or regional development plans centered on tanada.
The ministry said it would hold the first meeting of the selection committee for the new list in October to finalize the relevant procedures. It will then ask municipalities to recommend tanada in their areas before choosing the best by the end of this fiscal year ending March 2022.
The ministry also plans to change the list's title from the existing "100 best tanada in Japan."
In the new program involving private companies, the ministry will ask them to publicize tanada in their areas on their corporate websites and social media, and to promote tanada in various events and in-house training as part of their contribution to the region.
In 2019, the Diet passed a law to promote tanada, which provides financial and personnel support from the government. A total of 676 areas in 39 prefectures have been designated under the law, and tanada in these areas are expected to be among the candidates for the new list.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
