Project Background

Lake Biwako, which plays an important role as water source in the Kinki region
has been plagued by serious environmental pollutionsuch as red tide since the 

1950s. Among these, agricultural drainage from puddling is cited as one of the 
causes of water pollution. 

NICCO has been promoting "Fuyumizu Tambo" (winter flooded no-till rice
cultivation) in Ryuo Town, Shiga Prefecture since 2008 and in Higashiomi
City since 2014.

Both regions are blessed with a rich natural environment, with a climate
and geographical conditions that provide habitat for many living things,
and are also known as the production areas of Gangshu rice.

However, in Japan, the shift away from rice due to the diversification 
of dietary habits after the war has led to a rice surplus and a decline
in selling prices.As a countermeasure, acreage reduction policies have
been implemented to adjust selling prices by controlling rice production.
Introduced. Under the acreage reduction policy, fields are divided into
several blocks (divisions) and block rotation is carried out once every
three years, in which rice production is basically prohibited, and fields 
are turned into fields where crops such as soybeans or wheat are rotated, 
or fields are left fallow. The number of fields has increased.
Furthermore, young people's abandonment of farming has caused rural
depopulation and aging, leading to an increase in abandoned farmland 
and part-time farmers, Because part-time farmers have a short time to 
engage in farming and need efficient farming, the use of pesticides 
and chemical fertilizers and mechanization have progressed.
resulting in eutrophication of the Lake Biwako water system due to 
agricultural wastewater and an imbalance in the ecosystem, This causes
problems such as disorder.

About the Project

NICCO Fuyumizu Tambo Project implements and disseminates "Fuyumizu Tambo"
for the purpose of promoting water quality conservation and biodiversity
conservation of Lake Biwako, increasing farmers' income, promoting interaction
between urban and rural people, and revitalizing the region.
I am. ``Fuyumizu Tambo'' is cultivated using no-till cultivation, which means
that the old rice plants and straw are left until the next year without
tilling the soil, so the straw slowly decomposes in the water and becomes
a habitat for algae and microorganisms, which feed on insects and reptiles.
and even the birds that prey on them gather in rice paddies.
In addition, since there is no plowing, pollution of agricultural wastewater
in the Lake Biwa water system is suppressed, and since no pesticides or
chemical fertilizers are used, it is environmentally friendly and contributes 
to the conservation of the environment and biodiversity of the surrounding 
rice fields.

In addition, the rice grown there is safe and secure,and can lead to increased
income for farmers as a high value-added agricultural product. In the 
"Fuyumizu Tambo" project (2008-2013) in Ryuo Town, Shiga Prefecture, 
rice field wildlife observation sessions were conducted to observe the Kasumi 
salamander (a threatened species on the Ministry of the Environment's Red List 
and a rare species on the Shiga Prefecture Red List) and the Japanese carp 
beetle (a rare species on the Shiga Prefecture Red List). 

We have confirmed the return of 12 species, including endangered species, 
species requiring attention, and rare species, including the Japanese spotted 
frog (near-threatened species on the Shiga Prefecture Red List) and the 
Japanese spotted frog (a species requiring attention on the Shiga Prefecture 
Red List). 
In addition, as a result of water quality tests conducted in both 
"Fuyumizu Tambo" and conventional farming fields, the water filled with 
"Fuyumizu Tambo" had a phosphorus content of less than 0.1 mg/L and a nitrogen 
content of 0.5 mg/L. In contrast, the phosphorus content of wastewater after 
puddling from conventional farming fields was 13.7 mg/L, and the nitrogen 
content was 15.2 mg/L. These results also indicate that "Fuyumizu Tambo" 
greatly contributes to preserving the water quality of Lake Biwako, which is 
eutrophicated.