A project to clarify the mechanisms behind the decline in food self-sufficiency and to promote the self-sufficiency of Okinoerabu Island through the effective use of island bananas
Course of Economics Introduction Sawada Seminar,Center for Modern Kagoshima Studies,International Center for Island Studies
Sawada Shigeaki
- wadomari
- china
Background and objectives of activities
Okinoerabu Island is a prosperous agricultural island. The main crops (livestock products) are sugar cane, flowers, potatoes and calves. These are basically commercial crops for shipment. For this reason, despite being an agricultural island with vast agricultural land, Okinoerabu Island's food self-sufficiency rate is said to be low. In other words, the lifestyle is one in which crops are converted into cash, and that cash is then used to procure food from outside the island. This external dependence on food is likely to be a negative factor for Okinoerabu's self-reliance, both in terms of the island's economic cycle and in terms of procuring food in the event of a disaster.
Summary of Activities
With regard to the issue of food self-sufficiency, we have created a database of the weight, place of production, and procurement price of the ingredients used, and have calculated the food mileage, with the cooperation of the Wadomari Town School Lunch Center. This provides the basic data needed to discuss the rationality of locally produced foodstuffs and the school lunch supply system on a product-by-product basis.
In addition, we are seeking ways to make effective use of the island banana, which is produced on the island for home consumption but is considered an underutilized resource, with the cooperation of a professor from the Faculty of Agriculture.
Expected Benefits
We hope to revitalize the local economy, create a disaster-resistant food supply system, and create a local economy through the effective use of underutilized resources.