Impact of March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan on agri-food sector

Fusao Ito, Hrabrin Bachev

Abstract: Paper assesses the impacts of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan on country’s agriculture and food sector. First, framework of analysis is presented. Second, disaster events and their effects are utlined. Third, impact on farms and agricultural resources is estimated. Next, impact on food industries is assessed. After that, extend of radioactive contamination of agri-food products is presented. Finally, effects on markets, consumers and international trade are evaluated. Agriculture, food industry and food consumption have been among the worst hit by the disasters areas. Agri-food sectors of Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures have been particularly severely affected in the short and longer term. There are also significant adverse consequences on other (neighboring) regions and entire food chains at a larger scale. There is a great variation of the specific and combined impacts of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster on different type of farming and business enterprises, particular agents, individual sub-sectors, and specific locations. There have been enormous damages and long-term consequences on farming and rural households, important properties, personal ties, established brands, informal organizations and traditional communities. Disasters have had positive impacts on the development of certain sectors in the most affected regions and other parts of the country. The post disaster recovery and reconstruction have given opportunities and induced considerable policies and institutional modernization in agri-food and other sectors, food safety information and inspection, technological and product innovation, jobs creation and investment, farmlands consolidation and enhancement, infrastructural amelioration, organizational restructuring, etc.

Keywords: agriculture; food consumption; food industry; Japan; March 2011 earthquake; nuclear accident; socio-economic impacts; tsunami

Date published: 2017-10-09