Chapter 4 Geography

Performance Objectives
Students will be able to:

• describe why Japan is ideally suited for rice production
• explain the socio-economic importance of rice production to Japanese farmers
• evaluate the role of women in rice farming

Teacher Background:
With only about 15 percent of Japan's land suitable for cultivation, government policy aids farmers so that they can produce as much food as possible. The government has also supported expensive rice prices, in part to narrow the gap between rural and urban incomes. This measure has also secured rural votes, on which the Liberal Democratic party depended. Furthermore the tax structure favors farmers who agree to cultivate their acreage for 20 years.

Particular emphasis should be paid to the scarcity of habitable land, the reliance on rice as the core of Japanese agriculture and the socioeconomic impact that results from the cultivation of this staple crop.

Procedures:
Divide class into cooperative learning groups. Each group will receive either Worksheet A, B, C to read and discuss. (There will be duplication of worksheets). Allow students 15 minutes to read and discuss questions. One person will act as the recorder for each group.

Debrief groups and summarize answers on chalkboard. Show photos or pictures of Japanese rice fields.

Application
Find other examples of countries who rely primarily on a single crop. What are the drawbacks of such an economy?

Pretend you are a member of a Congressional committee which has been formed to make recommendations to the leaders of developing nations. Propose an alternative economic plan so that the government can minimize the drawbacks of a single crop economy.

As members of a committee, you have just received one million Yen (100¥ = $1) to use in your district. List five ways in which you would use this money for the rice farmers in your area.