Cows Eating Wind -- Landscape of Regeneration, May 2004

Cows Eating Wind -- Landscape of Regeneration, May 2004

In 2004, Japan's farming communities were quietly changing. In Tsukui Ward, Kanagawa Prefecture, a simple but daring measure to revitalize land that had fallen into disrepair due to aging and abandoned cultivation began with the release of cows, which grazed one cow per square kilometer in 20 days, weeding and preserving the land at the same time. This initiative is now spreading to Tokushima and Shimane. In Tokushima, farmers in mountainous areas are supporting the breeding of "Awa-gyu" cattle, while in Shimane, "Shimane-style grazing" has been introduced as a method of restoring farmland and human life while preventing damage from wild animals. There, the landscape of the former satoyama and the hopes of future farming villages intersect. Behind this was the development of environmental policies such as global warming and the Biomass Nippon Strategy, as well as expectations for the multifaceted function of agriculture. The activity of cattle grazing on grass was not mere li
vestock farming, but an allegory for regional revitalization and a modest attempt of civilization to coexist with the environment. The dialogue between nature and people was quietly spreading with the smell of grass.