To support food supply and livelihood
A panoramic view of Ochiai Village can be seen from the Ochiai Village Observation Point in Higashi Iya Nakaue, Miyoshi City. In the sloping fields of Ochiai Village, indigenous millets, seasonal vegetables, and other agricultural products are cultivated in small quantities and multiple varieties due to the limited arable land. This has fostered a subsistence-based agricultural system, ensuring efficient food self-sufficiency.
To protect traditions and nature
Ochiai Village has preserved the “Nishi-Awa Slope Farming System,” where the sloping land is cultivated without leveling the terrain. In these fields, kaya grass is used to prevent soil erosion and as organic fertilizer. Additionally, stone walls and waterways have been developed to support sloped-field cultivation. Ochiai village exemplifies a substance lifestyle in a rugged mountainous region, where traditional farming techniques harmonize with the natural environment.
Culture associated with the local environment
Several historical buildings in Ochiai village date back to early modern and modern times. Recent efforts have focused on restoring these buildings as thatched houses and repurposing them as lodging and cultural experiences. Alongside these historical buildings, indigenous agricultural materials such as ”koeguro” and ”hade” continue to be produced depending on the season.
Landscape in harmony with people and environment
The cultural traditions of life on sloping land practiced in Ochiai village since medieval Japan, are themselves a landscape resource. The community actively works to preserve the village’s indigenous landscape by maintaining and regulating the conservations of its buildings and stone walls as historically significant structures. The entire village has been designated as a national Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings, recognizing its outstanding historical and cultural value.
Related Links
Interview
Iya Millet Products Association｜The People Supporting Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System
Iya Millet Products Association (Higashi-Iya in Miyoshi City) The Iya region of Miyoshi city is among the three unexplored regions of Japan. In this region, indigenous millets have been cultivated with buckwheat and other crops. One of the most valuable indigenous millets cultivated in this region is "Yatsumata (Finger millet)." Yatsumata (Finger millet) belongs to the grass family and is native to Eastern Africa. In Japan, it was cultivated mainly in mountainous regions such as Shikoku. Nowadays, it is popular as a superfood owing to its high nutritional value. People in Higashi-Iya have made considerable efforts to preserve Yatsumata. A man, who was the only producer of Yatsumata in Higashi-Iya, […]
