Tradition and Modernism: Sustainable Rice Culture

Japan has defended its 778 percent tariffs on rice as the sacred crop grown by farmers who defend a proud agrarian heritage that forms the nation’s spiritual center (Tabuchi, 2014: B1). However, the rice industry may not be sustainable as it is presently structured in an increasingly freer trade world. Arguably, the average size of rice farms in Japan of approximately 1 hectare of land (2.5 acres, approximately) is not sustainable. In 2009, according to government statistics, the average size of a farm in Japan was just 1.9 hectares, or 4.7 acres, in 2009, compared with 198 hectares in the United States (Tabuchi, 2010). Herein, we will explore the historical and cultural context of rice farming and ultimately, make recommendations for how to make rice farming more sustainable.