On the Formation of the Fruit Farming Area in Okayama Prefecture

The present fruit farming area in the south-western part of Okayama Prefecture was in the middle of the Tokugawa era a self-sufficient rice and wheat producing area.In line with the process of the capital accumulation taking place in the early years of the Meiji era, the agricultural development was strengthened. Here in the area mentioned above the exploitation of sloping lands was undertaken, but the change in the mode of production has gone no further than to augment something to the type of self-sufficient and grain centred agriculture.Fruit farming was introduced here at about the middle of the Meiji era when the establishment of the industrial capitalism based upon the industrial revolution was taking shape in Japan, and it continued to be practised through the two epochal periods-the middle of Taisho and 10's of Showa. During the periods it has taken root and attained the present position as a peach producing area of the country.The special characteristics of the structure of the agriculture at that time may be said to be the combined form of fruit-grain cultivation, mainly undertaken and engaged in by farmers whose land being more or less than one hectare.The characteristics of structure and mode of the agriculture since then have continued down without a change even after the Land Reform, but there has been noted a little advancement of the management, which is taken to be a “special type” inherent with fruit farming.The characteristic mode of producing fruit is in existence within the sphere of small farming; therefore not until the shell of small-scale farming is broken out we can only expect to see the fruit farming of the area expanding and developing in consonance with the capitalistic system.