Designing Supply-Demand Relationships of Food and Renewable Energy towards Ensuring Regional Sustainability: Case Study of Shinjo Village, Okayama, Japan

Abstract

Regional sustainability with resilience is becoming an important concept. In particular, securing selfsufficiency of food and energy within local communities, together with local independence, is one of the essential conditions for realizing regional sustainability. In order to discuss such self-sufficiency of food and energy, re-valuing local natural resources and enhancing a proper balance between supply and demand of renewable resources within a region is of critical importance. However, studies which address this aspect are very scant. Shinjo village in Okayama prefecture, Japan is a unique municipality trying to enhance self-sufficiency in terms of energy, food and financial conditions, aiming to avoid a possible merger with other bigger cities. Unique visions and proper measures are needed for the village to keep the self-sufficiency viable and to pursue regional sustainability especially at a time when the labor force is shrinking due to the aging population and resultant declining local economy. In this study, we aim to discuss the outlooks of self-sufficiency level for Shinjo village especially from the viewpoint of supply and demand of food and renewable energy (biomasses). We first looked into geographical data and examined ecological conditions and local landscapes, which serve as the basis for evaluating local natural resources. We then developed inventory data of food and renewable energy available within the region by applying material flow analysis (MFA). Based upon the information we evaluated the regional sustainability from the viewpoint of demand and supply balance for food and energy as well as selfreliance of economic conditions. We found that Shinjo village has abundant natural resources more than the amount originally assumed from the existing official statistical data. We proposed institutional and technical options as well as policy measures, which utilize these rich resources, to further enhance regional sustainability of the village.