An international comparative study on the method for improving rice paddy field area to bring the large-size rice farming

为了阐明在日本建立具有国际竞争力的低成本稻田的可能性和方法，对美国、澳大利亚和日本的大型稻田进行了比较研究。研究结果表明：1)即使在日本，通过扩大稻田面积到5公顷，每个农户的农场规模达到70公顷，也可以实现具有国际竞争力的低成本水稻种植；2)通过鼓励农民将稻田出租给核心农户，将核心农户分散租用的小块土地集中安排在一起，将小块土地扩大到5公顷，实现低成本水稻种植。

In order to clarify the possibility and the method for establishingthe internationally competent low-cost rice farming in Japan, an comparative study on the large-size rice farms in U.S.A , Australia and Japan were implemented. The results are as follows;1) The low-cost rice farming with international competitiveness is possible even in Japan by enlarging rice paddy plots size to 5 hectares and farm size to 70 hectares per farmworker.2) Such rice farming will be realized by carrying out three countermeasuresall at once; that is, encouraging peasants to rent their rice paddy plots to core farmers, arranging core farmers' small and scattered rented plots at one place, and enlarging the small plots to 5 hectares.