Abstract
Kaneyama Township in Yamagata Prefecture, Northeast Japan, neither grew buckwheat nor had a culture of buckwheat in its past. It is not the case that the natural environment of this township was ever basically unsuitable for growing buckwheat; rather, the crop was not grown because no economic or practical rationale had ever been found to do so. However, the buckwheat in this area has now been found to have unique value through exchange between local residents and urban residents. This chapter will look at how buckwheat has been positioned as a local food in these community development initiatives. We will consider the possibilities for creating a new relationship with the environment through food. We may be able to visualize how what is taken to be a “relationship with the environment” is not some latent or inherent presence, but rather a product of human activity and intervention over time.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ikemoto H (2008) Search for the economics of local supply and local consumption. Hyogo Univ J 13:1–17
Sudou N (1997) Efforts to form a direct sale network of local products. Study on Agric Struct 193:57–97
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sasaki, T. (2020). Creating a New Relationship with the Environment Through Food: Learning from Community Development Initiatives in Kaneyama Township in Yamagata Prefecture, Northeast Japan. In: Yokoyama, S., Matsumoto, J., Araki, H. (eds) Nature, Culture, and Food in Monsoon Asia. International Perspectives in Geography, vol 10. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2113-3_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2113-3_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-2112-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-2113-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)