Tohoku Agricultural Research Center, NARO

Agricultural Resumption Group

Although five years have already passed since the accident at the Tokyo Electric Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, long-term researches are still necessary for full recovery and resumption of agricultural activities. The continuous decontamination efforts and cancellation of evacuation order have encouraged local residents to return. However in addition to decontamination, a thorough restructuring of agricultural infrastructures is necessary for resumption of agriculture in these areas focusing on how to recover soil fertility, land management in areas with fewer farmers returning, exploitation of new crops and their markets, and time needed to regenerate life based on agriculture in ruined areas etc.

The Agricultural Resumption Group addresses the following social and technical issues to support returning farmers in areas affected by the nuclear accident:

  1. Monitoring agro-social structure of evacuation order cancellation area
  2. Weed management and erosion prevention methods on decontaminated farmland
  3. Resuming forage use of paddy levee grass and their management
  4. Wildlife monitoring in evacuation area and development of prevention fence
  5. Energy- and resource-recycling agricultural technology: biomass waste, wooden chip, dry methane fermentation

The experimental field to evaluate cover crops for farmland restoration and erosion prevention. We have compared and evaluated various combinations of forage crop species and cultivars, timing of sowing, and mowing regimes to establish recommendable labor-saving farmland management practices.

Group Leader

HOSHI Norihiro

Group Members

Centers・Institutes