SPECIAL SECTION: THE WORLDS OF SATOYAMA

Room for Us All

Jane Singer & Winifred Bird



Valid doubts persist about whether satoyama has ever been fully realized in its ideal form, or whether a national government whose policies helped to destroy the traditional rural environment has any right to turn round and trumpet that network of integrated ecosystems as a model for the world. But becoming snagged in such debates will distract us from the many tangible and inspiring successes attained by these land-use practices themselves.

Instead, we should ask ourselves whether satoyama remains relevant today. At the most basic level, the parameters of sustainable use are set by what biologist/educator Wes Jackson calls the proper ratio of “eyes to acres.” Overpopulation begets pressure to scrape the land dry just to meet our own needs. Shifting trends in lifestyles and mounting demands from the market insert our newfound desires into that equation. Rural depopulation, on the other hand, drains away the very people who know the land in an intimate, nuanced way and can care for it properly.

See also "Japan's creeping natural disaster" by Winifred Bird (The Japan Times)

To read entire article, download as PDF file (1.23MB)

Jane Singer, a long-time Kyoto resident, is a writer and graduate school professor specializing in sustainable development and environmental education.

Winifred Bird is a freelance writer living in rural Japan. Her work focuses on the natural world and people’s place within it.

www.winifredbird.com

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