Geographical Study on Pluriactivity and its Function for Sustaining Rural Communities.

在日本，兼职农业的兴起通常被认为是一种负面趋势，构成了从全职农业到最终放弃农业的过渡阶段。然而，农业活动与家庭内的非农业活动相结合，在德国被称为多重活动、兼职耕作或Erwerbskcombination，在世界其他地区被视为更为积极的做法。倍增活动在工业化国家很常见，可以被认为是小规模家庭农场生存的一种战略。在日本，拥有多种活动的家庭农场在维护当地社区和环境以及防止自然灾害方面发挥着重要作用。然而，日本没有意识到多元化活动的重要性，这与欧洲形成鲜明对比，在欧洲，多元化活动得到农业和区域政策的支持。在这项研究中，确定了日本不同类型的多元活动，展示了每种类型在日本的空间分布，探讨了维持多元活动的区域条件，并考虑了多元活动对维持农村社区的作用。通过提供兼职工作，为农民家庭创造额外的收入，多元活动起到了留住日本农村人口和社区的作用。然而，农业部门和其他部门之间的收入差距仍然存在。与欧洲一样，日本的农业和区域政策应支持多元化活动，将其作为农村和区域可持续性的一个关键要素。

The rise of part-time farming is usually considered to be a negative trend in Japan constituting a transitional phase from full-time farming to the eventual abandonment of farming. However, agricultural activity combined with non-agricultural activities within a household, referred to as pluriactivity, multiple-job holding farming or Erwerbskombination in Germany, is seen in a more positive light in other parts of the world. Pluriactivity is common in industrialized countries and it can be considered to be a strategy for small-scale family farms to survive. Family farms with pluriactivity have an important role in maintaining local communities and the environment as well as in preventing natural hazards in Japan. However, the importance of pluriactivity is not appreciated in Japan, in sharp contrast with Europe where pluriactivity receive support through agricultural and regional policies. In this study different kinds of pluriactivity are identified in Japan, the spatial distribution of each type within the country is presented, the regional conditions which maintain pluriactivity are treated and the function of pluriactivity for sustaining rural communities is considered.By providing part-time work which generates additional income for farm families, pluriactivity has functioned to retain rural population and communities in Japan. However, the difference in income between the agricultural sector and other sectors remains. As occurs in Europe, agricultural and regional policies in Japan should support pluriactivity as a key element in rural and regional sustainability.