（『開発学研究』第14巻第1号［通巻61号］　pp.10−16）

【特別報告】
農業・生活・地域づくりを推進する生活改善普及事業

山田　瓔子

Extension Work of the Rural Life Improvement Projects
Promotion of Rural Life Improvement with Agriculture and Community Developments

Yoko YAMADA

要　　旨
　本稿は，農業改良助長法の公布により実施された生活改善普及事業について,その現場活動を担った生活改良普及員の立場から考察したものである。私達は国で示される普及活動のマニュアルに従って時代毎に行なった。その中で普及事業の特徴である農業改良普及員と一体的に取り組んだ「菊農家の健康づくり」と「複式農業簿記の記帳を通した農村女性の地位向上」活動から生活改善とは何かについて考えた。それらの活動を通して農村生活は，農業（生計）・生活（家庭）・地域（環境）から成り立っていることに気づいた。よりよい生活の為に３つの面をバランスよく改善していくことの重要性を認識した。改善の手法として,グループ活動の中で集団思考をさせ考える農民を育成した。
　日本の手法をフィリピンでの技術援助の中で示し，「ウビ栽培農家の生活と生産の向上」活動において試みた。生活改善の基本的な考え方は,フィリピンでも理解され種々の課題解決活動に受け入れられた。
　普及活動の手法は,農業行政のみならず日本における住民主体の行政の中で充分適用するものと思われる。今後普及活動の事例を基に生活改善活動を体系的にまとめ，広く一般にアピールすることが重要である。

Abstract

The view expressed in this report is from a livelihood extension worker who undertook projects on rural life improvement that carried out the field activities. The Rural Life Improvement Project was implemented by the Japanese government under the Agricultural Improvement Promotion Law). We carried out field activities every period according to the manual provided by the government. In these field activities, I considered seriously what the rural life improvement means, through the typical extension activities, e.g. “health promotion of chrysanthemum growers” or “enhancement of rural women’s social standing through recording book-keeping”, which were conducted in cooperation with the agricultural extension workers. Through these activities, I realized that rural life consists of three aspects: agriculture or livelihood, living condition and community environment．For their better life, I recognized the importance of improving these three aspects with a good balance of them. As a way of the improvement, we trained the farmers to become “thinking farmers” by letting them think collectively together in the group activities.
In technical aid in the Philippines I showed the Japanese way to the farmers and I tried to implement the know-how in the activities to enhance the rural life and production of Ubi growers there. The fundamental idea of the rural life improvement was understood by the workers and farmers in the Philippines and it was accepted in many activities in order to solve their problems. I think the way of extension activities will be suited not only to the agricultural administration but to the administration of the resident participation in Japan. In the future, we need to summarize the activity way based on the case of extension activities systematically. It is also important to appeal it to the public widely.