Japanese Tea production and The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems
8/15 2024
Author: Ayako Wakano
As for the domestic consumption, it has been greatly influenced by the PET bottle green tea beverages in early 2000s. As 500ml small-sized PET bottle green tea beverages became extremely popular, the great demand for green tea appeared and the relatively inexpensive tea leaves were imported to Japan as it shows in figure 1. However, due to increased domestic production meeting the demand for green tea beverages, the import volume in recent years has significantly decreased compared to the 2000s.
Regarding the cultivation land for tea leaves, approximately 70% is concentrated in three prefectures: Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and Mie. Among them, Shizuoka Prefecture has the highest production volume, followed by Kagoshima Prefecture as of 2023.
On the other hand, in terms of the average cultivation area per farming household is highest in Kagoshima, exceeding 4.3 hectares, which is more than three times the average in Shizuoka Prefecture. It is partly because the geographical advantage exists in Kagoshima where the gentle slopes and large-scale mechanization allow for efficient cultivation, while in Shizuoka Prefecture's tea cultivation, tea fields spread across sloping terrain, and many areas are unsuitable for mechanization, resulting in a reliance on manual labor. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (the statistics for agricultural income) , in year 2022, total domestic raw tea leaf output value is 47.1 billion JPY of which the greatest in value is from Kagoshima Prefecture which surpassed Shizuoka Prefecture and now accounts for 33% as Figure 2 shows.
Although it is heavily relied on manual cultivation, there is a unique cultivation process which emphasizes traditional and environmentally friendly practices in Shizuoka Prefecture, called the “Chagusaba farming method”. In 2013, because of its “Chagusaba farming method”, the four cities and one town including Kakegawa city in Shizuoka Prefecture was recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS). The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) is an initiative by the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) that started in 2002.1
As picture 1 shows that the grasslands around tea fields, where plants like Japanese pampas grass and bamboo grass grow, are called “Chagusaba.” The grass, such as pampas grass, is cut and dried, then laid between the rows of tea plants. This grass is referred to as “Chagusa.” Chagusa helps prevent soil erosion, suppresses weed growth, and eventually decomposes into compost. Additionally, cutting the tall grass allows smaller plants and animals to receive sunlight and continue to thrive. As in picture 2, it is manually cultivated by individual farmers, so the production volume is not scaled up enough to be suitable for such mass consumption as “500 ml PET bottled” beverage. Consumers are required to evaluate elements that cannot be reflected in the price.
Footnote
1 It designates agricultural production systems that have internationally significant features and heritage value, which should be passed on to future generations. The initiative aims to promote the conservation of these systems while also encouraging their adaptation to the surrounding environment and further development.