On March 28, 2019, Western Region Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), hosted a symposium called “How to pass the Nishi-Awa Steep-Slope Land Agriculture System to the future generations?”
In the first part of the symposium, Professor Katsunobu Shirakawa (Geihoku Kogen no Shizenkan) presented a seminar on an innovative initiative for the Hiroshima town, Hiroshima Prefecture. The initiative was proposed to boost the local economy by exchanging wood for local currency.
Associate Professor Naito presented an overview of the Nishi-Awa steep-slope agricultural system. Mr. Kazufumi Takagi spoke about the diverse indigenous crops grown in this region, and Professor Yoshinobu Kusumoto discussed the differences between the Traditional tea-grass integrated system in Shizuoka and the Nishi-Awa area from the perspective of biodiversity.
The second part, a general discussion, involved the answers to the questions asked by the panelists, which were collected in advance, along with conversations based on the results of a questionnaire tally. Approximately 50 attendees were present for the presentations.
| Title: | “How to pass the Nishi-Awa Steep-Slope Land Agriculture System to the future generations?” |
| Date: | March 28, 2019 |
| Venue: | Agricultural Structure Improvement Center in Tsurugi |
| Sponsor: | Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO |
| Partners: | Tokushima Tsurugisan Global Agricultural Heritage Promotion Council Secretariat and Tsurugi Town |
Program
12：30 Open
13：15 Open remarks and explanation of the symposium purpose
13：30 Part 1: Lectures
Chairman: Dr. Kiyoshi HIRAOKA (Director, Division of Hillside Horticulture Research, NARO Western Region Agricultural Research Center)
- “How to pass the local nature and culture to the next generation?” by Dr. Katsunobu SHIRAKAWA (Curator at Geihoku Kogen no Shizenkan)
- “Cultural value of the Nishi-Awa steep-slope land agriculture system and its conservation” by Professor Naoki NAITO (Tokushima University)
- “Indigenous crop in the Nishi-Awa region” by Mr. Kazufumi TAKAGI (Western Tokushima Prefectural Government)
- “Possibility of sustainable agriculture utilizing biodiversity and local resources” by Dr. Yoshinobu KUSUMOTO (Principal Researcher, Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO)
15：00 Coffee break
15：15 Part 2: Discussion
Chairman: Dr. Kazushi OJIMA（Principal Researcher, Western Region Agricultural Research Center, NARO）
Panelists: Dr. Katsunobu Shirakawa, Prof. Naoki Naito, Mr. Kazufumi Takagi, Dr. Yoshinobu Kusumoto, Mr. Masahito Oshima (Officer at Tsurugi town government office)
16：30 Closing remarks
