The emergent culture of the Japanese organic farming movement and its implications for political economy

Part of a global proliferation of alternative strategies for environmental, social, and personal transformation, the Japanese organic farming movement has its roots in the social upheavals of the 1960s anti-war, anti-pollution, anti-corporate, and feminist movements. It is the most highly developed organic farming movement worldwide, and has embedded within it the presence of New Left influences, the Japan Communist Party, and diverse social movements representing the interests of a wide cross-section of the Japanese populace. This study communicates the dynamism of people actively engaged in transforming social relations and creating new cultural values and socio-political assumptions. Documented is the grassroots-initiated counter-hegemonic response to the ongoing Japanese recession, the collapse of the "economic bubble," and the widespread Japanese disillusionment with life as urban salaried workers.;I include five case studies of organic farmers' groups in different areas of Japan. My primary research site at Miyoshi Village across the bay from Tokyo is one of the largest and oldest consumer-initiated direct-marketing relationships between urban consumers and organic farmers in Japan, on-going for more than twenty years. Aware of the broader socio-political dimensions of food and agriculture and involved in various social movement activities, I show the participants united in their efforts to effect social transformation. The four secondary sites show regional farmer-initiated organic farmers' groups creatively utilizing various components of the organic farming movement (consumer cooperatives, organic foods retailers and distributors) and innovatively engaging in collective enterprises that enable them to enjoy year-round financial security. Japanese organic farmers are progressive and have a social vision of a radically-transformed society.;The latest GATT Accords have intensified support for the organic farming movement in Japan. The movement's successes in stemming rural flight and creating viable farm communities based on local inputs and ecologically sustainable methods by forming direct links with urban consumers have global significance. Direct ties established by Japanese organic farmers with counterparts in the Third World point to the potential of people linked transnationally to take collective action to protect the environment and better their lives.