1.
fallow rice field; idle paddy; uncultivated rice paddy
A rice paddy that has been temporarily or permanently taken out of cultivation. A significant issue in rural Japan as the agricultural population declines.
村には休耕田が増えている。
Fallow rice fields are increasing in the village.
休耕田を活用して太陽光パネルを設置した。
Solar panels were installed to make use of fallow fields.
高齢化で農家が減り、休耕田の面積は年々拡大しているが、再利用の取り組みも始まっている。
As farmers decrease due to aging, the area of fallow fields expands year by year, but efforts to reuse them are also beginning.
Composed of 休耕 (fallow, lying idle) + 田 (rice paddy). A term frequently seen in discussions of Japan's agricultural policy, rural depopulation, and land use. The Japanese government has historically paid subsidies for 減反 (rice acreage reduction), leading many farmers to leave paddies fallow.
Some 休耕田 are repurposed for solar power generation, flower fields for tourism, or converted to other crops.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 休耕田が増える: fallow fields increase
- 休耕田を活用する: to utilize fallow fields
- 休耕田の再利用: reuse of fallow fields
- 休耕田の管理: management of fallow fields
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 耕作放棄地: abandoned farmland — land that has been left uncultivated for a longer period with no plan to resume
- 休耕地: fallow land — a more general term not limited to rice paddies
- 田んぼ: rice paddy — the general colloquial word for a rice field, whether active or not