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16 THE RURAL VOICE
URBAN GREY COUNTY
AND TOKYO FARMERS
Urban Tokyo and Ontario's rural
Grey County are at opposite ends of
the world geographically and
culturally.
These two alien cultures, on the
other hand, do have a topic of debate
in common these days: the preser-
vation of farm land.
But the commonality ends there.
Generally, Tokyo and Grey County
are at opposite ends of the pole when
it comes to debating the issue of
preserving farm land.
That disparity came to light in
a recent Globe and Mail edition
containing a column by Michael
Valpy on Grey County and a story
by Masami Iida on Tokyo, taken
from the Japan Economic Journal.
The Japanese farmers doggedly
cling to their tiny parcels of land
within city limits, while a growing
number of Grey County farmers are
selling out parcels of their rural farms
to urbanites and strip development.
The differing stances are rooted
in history, ideology, and economics.
Tokyo is one of the world's largest
cities, yet it harbours some 115,000
farmers, 42,000 of them full-time
farmers who make a living selling
vegetables off parcels of land as tiny
as one hectare.
Generous tax breaks make it
possible for these urban farmers to
do better on average than their non -
farming Tokyo neighbours.
Because Japan is land -short and
over -populated, policy is geared
towards self-sufficiency in food pro-
duction. Although there is increasing
pressure to pave over and build on
Tokyo farm parcels, these urban
farmers are winning the political
battle to survive.
Back on our side of the world in
rural Grey and other Ontario counties,
the story is very different.
Governments have abandoned
farmers to the marketplace, and
they're leaving the land in droves,
selling out their farms in total or in
part to Toronto Yuppies.
Canadians ignorant of the impact
of building condos and strip malls in
the farming heartland will argue that
Japan is only a small, overpopulated
island which is forced by circumstance
to preserve farm land. Canada has a
small population, they argue, with vast
stretches of land which make the
country self-sufficient in food.
Not so, of course. Canada has
vast stretches of wasteland, and tiny
patches of prime farm land in the
country's population breeding ground
of Southern Ontario.
And the asphalt urban jungles
are spreading their vines day by day,
cutting off the life in the country's
bread -basket.
Of course there are farmers and
city people concerned about the
destruction of our dwindling food
resource. They are not to blame.
Farmers more than willing to sell
their land, however, must bear some
of the blame. But many, of course,
have no choice if they are to survive
the continuing farm financial squeeze.
City dwellers more than willing to
buy that land must also bear some of
the blame. But they can argue that
their money is helping financially
pinched farmers.
So who is to blame?
Government, both the provincial
Liberal and federal Conservative
branches.
The federal Conservatives can at
least plead stupidity based on their
ideology, which says that turning a
buck is not only acceptable, but
saintly even.
The provincial Liberals too can
plead stupidity, but they're supposed
to know better.0
Gord Wainman has been an urban -
based agriculture reporter for 13 years.