【Date】
June 2 (Thu), 5:00-6:00 p.m.

【Venue】
Ground Floor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, The University of Tokyo

【Speaker】
Rei Asada（Project Researcher, IASA, The University of Tokyo）

【Title】
Letting resource go: Re-evaluation of “Rural Development”

【Commentator】
Yutaka Suga(Professor, IASA, The University of Tokyo)

【Abstract】

This presentation explores the way of conserving resources in mountainous agricultural districts under the issues of depopulation, shrinking communities and aging that Japan is presently facing, with particular focus on the characteristics of the resources of terraced rice fields. Globally, the resources are normally understood to be effective use and sustainable conservation of resources amid explosive growth of population that causes shortage or over use of resources. It dissolves the mechanism of resource conservation projects expanding and continuing in mountainous areas in spite of their serious depopulation and aging. By doing so, it casts a question against the stream of talking only for conservation of resources without doubt all the way, and points out the under-use state of resources in the mountainous areas of the country. It verifies through its field survey that there arise some gaps between village people’s efforts to conserve their resources in some way and the administrative conservation projects jumbling up urban areas together, and suggests the new possibility of local people’s choice to release the resources. Through above discussion this presentation will question, “what was the rural development did for and will be like?”

【Language】Japanese