In Japan, the number of full-time farm households had continued to decrease since the latter
half of 20th century. The number of part-time households has been also decreasing remarkably
in the last twenty years. Cultivated acreage also aligned with these tendencies and it has decreased.
As a result, the farmland which is not cultivated increased and it may also grow into a
social problem. Therefore, the present condition and future view of Japanese agriculture was
elaborately examined in the study by analyzing the transition of non-cultivated arable lands from
a historical perspective.
Non-cultivated arable land
part-time farm households
non-farm households
Japan