港北ニュータウンでは都市農業と住宅開発が調和をもって共生する環境がつくられている。都市農業は住宅開発地区周辺に農業専用地区を設定し、元気な農業活動をしている。都市農業振興に関わる昔の経緯を知るために、横浜市環境創造局農政推進課に昔の政策決定資料の開示請求をした。大変に親切に対応していただき感謝している。その過程で近年、水田の風景が失われつつあることを知った。水田耕作が儲からず、野菜作りに移行しているという。でも、水田風景は日本的な風景で是非大事にしたいと思っている。一方、戸塚区の新庁舎の屋上に小さな水田が作られ、近隣の小学生が田植えや刈り取りをしているらしい。庁舎にある市の南部農政事務所の職員たちが水田の維持管理に協力している。できれば、そのような水田を市民に身近な場所、例えばみなとみらいや山下公園周辺の空き地又は駐車場でできないものだろうか。長期的でなくてもいい、暫定的でもよい。水田と高層ビルが共存するマチを是非作ってほしい、それが環境問題に対処する道になるかもしれない。
In Kohoku New Town, an environment has been created where urban agriculture and residential development coexist in harmony. Urban agriculture has been set up as special agricultural zones around residential development areas and is engaged in vigorous agricultural activities. In order to find out more about the past history of the promotion of urban agriculture by the city government, I made a request to the Agricultural Policy Promotion Division of the Yokohama City Environment and Creation Bureau for disclosure of old policy decision-making documents. I am grateful for the very kind response from the officials concerned. In the process, I learnt that the paddy field landscape has been disappearing in recent years. It is said that paddy farming is not profitable and people are shifting to vegetable farming. However, the paddy field landscape is a very Japanese landscape and I would like to cherish it for a long time to come. Meanwhile, a small paddy field has been created on the roof of the new ward office building in Totsuka Ward, where nearby schoolchildren are planting and harvesting rice. Staff from the city's Southern Agricultural Administration Office at the ward office are helping to maintain the paddy fields with the children. If possible, could such paddy fields be created in places close to citizens, for example, in vacant lots or parking lots around Minatomirai or Yamashita Park? It does not have to be long-term, or even temporary all right. We would like to see the creation of a city where paddy fields and high-rise buildings coexist, which may be a way to deal with the current environmental problems.
