The Significance of Small Farms Today: The Case of Fukushima after Nuclear Disaster

For some time now, there have been discussions of agricultural biodiversity and small farms in developing countries that are not controlled by multinational corporations. This effort is a form of opposition to capitalism and an appeal for the independence of farmers, as discussed by people such as V. Shiva. Agricultural biodiversity is being discussed not only in Europe but also in Japan. In Fukushima, the conservation of agricultural biodiversity damaged by the nuclear disaster and the shortage of farmers are major issues. However, the proposed solutions do not break away from neoliberalist methodologies and do not focus on small country farms.

This study considered measures to maintain the regional circulation and use of resources that agricultural biodiversity encompasses as well as the enjoyment of agriculture. The focus of the case study was to clarify whether small farms complemented neoliberalist agriculture in the agricultural regeneration of the nuclear disaster area.

In the village of Kawauchi in Fukushima, agriculture was difficult due to radioactive contamination. However, the initiative of an elderly farmer, his own consumption of grapes, restarted farming. In 2014, the harvest was used for home consumption and gifts; in 2016, it was elevated to a crop for sale.

The case study found that in Fukushima farming was restarted, at first for home consumption, by an elderly farmer. This is significant in today's world where agriculture is threatened by various forms of disruption. Even temporary disturbances may have a major impact on agricultural biodiversity, as well as on farmers' livelihoods and enjoyment. Recovery from nuclear disaster has been driven by disaster capitalism, but small farms are the foundation of macro-level regeneration of agricultural biodiversity and have demonstrated a new significance.