Page 183 - Changing Living Spaces

Structural Changes in Fertilizer Circulation in Modern Japan

This structure was maintained, but if we consider the consumption
amount as an index, we find that the fluctuation increased from 1916 (fig-
ure 2 and 3).

Agriculture and Fertilizer Consumption in Suburban Rural Areas
What are the experiences of farmers in this situation? In the follow-
ing, fertilizer is examined on a micro-scale using Kachigawa-cho,
Higashikasugai-gun, near Nagoya.
Although Higashikasugai-gun is adjacent to Nagoya, it has a high per-
centage of full-time farmers and has become a suburban farming area
supplying food to the cities. The number of farmers in the county is rela-
tively high. With the development and expansion of Nagoya, the demand
for vegetables increased due to population growth, and this region devel-
oped into a vegetable supply site.
Against this background, village farmers’ associations tried various ap-
proaches to fertilizers. For example, they promoted the use of fertilizers
for self-sufficiency against the decline in rice prices in 1915, and the follow-
ing year they promoted the construction of composting houses and held
compost fairs. To promote the cultivation and spread of plants that fix ni-
trogen, they organized the joint purchase of seeds of Chinese milk vetch.
However, as the total consumption of purchased fertilizer continued
to increase, the actual management of farms relied on the use of fertiliz-
ers for self-sufficiency. For in addition to the increased tax burden, it was
necessary to buy seeds and seedlings in cash.
For example, consider the business development of a farmer from the
‘Farmers’ Economic Survey’. This farmer was mainly engaged in rice cul-
tivation and added sericulture and poultry farming to his combined cul-
tivation. In order to improve the economic position of poultry farming
and strengthen it, poultry manure was used to increase the productiv-
ity of various vegetables. As the improvement of agricultural manage-
ment came to the fore, the trend of agricultural management costs also
changed. It is obvious that the introduction of seeds, seedlings, fertilizers
and feeds were essential to improve agricultural production. They con-
sistently accounted for about 60 percent of farm management costs. The
cost of purchasing fertilizer gradually increased, from 212 to 378 yen in
1923, but thereafter fertilizer costs decreased due to the success of ferti-
lizer self-sufficiency (Aichi Agricultural Association 1923).
Now let us look more closely at changes in feed costs, fertilizer costs,
livestock costs, etc. over time. The Farmers’ Economic Survey distin-

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