Agricultural Experiment Station

An institution that conducts testing and research on agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, particularly on agricultural technology. In addition to the national agricultural experiment stations (currently the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization), there are various public agricultural experiment stations in each prefecture.

Agricultural research and testing in Japan was launched in 1893 (Meiji 26) as the government-organized Agricultural Experiment Station. With its main base in Nishigahara (Kita-ku, Tokyo) and branches in several locations across the country, it was responsible for testing agricultural product improvement and multiplication, traveling lectures, and analysis and appraisal of soil quality, fertilizer, and feed. After that, the main and branch systems were consolidated while strengthening departments such as livestock farming, soil quality, and tea production, and eventually, in the Taisho era, the Livestock Experiment Station, Horticulture Experiment Station, and Tea Experiment Station became independent from the Agricultural Experiment Station. In addition, the organization of agricultural-related testing and research institutions, including the Sericulture Experiment Station, continued through the Second World War in the Showa era and the postwar organizational reforms. Since its founding, the Agricultural Experiment Station's research subjects have been centered on rice and wheat, which are staple foods, and it has made a great contribution to the development of Japanese agriculture, especially in the improvement of crop varieties and the establishment of breeding organizations for that purpose.

After the Second World War, the organizational structure of agricultural research institutes underwent some changes, but by 1978, a system had been established in which the following organizations were in place: Agricultural Technology Research Institute, Agricultural Experiment Station, Livestock Experiment Station, Grassland Experiment Station, Fruit Tree Experiment Station, Vegetable Experiment Station, Tea Experiment Station, Agricultural Civil Engineering Experiment Station, Sericulture Experiment Station, Livestock Hygiene Experiment Station, Food Research Institute, Plant Virus Research Institute, Tropical Agriculture Research Center, and Agricultural Research Institute, and they carried out research in response to the postwar development of agriculture (with a few exceptions, most of these research institutes were located in Tsukuba Science City).On the other hand, there were regional agricultural experiment stations in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu, which worked closely with public agricultural experiment stations to conduct research and testing on improving regional agriculture from a comprehensive perspective.

These were organized along the lines of postwar Japanese agricultural development, but as Japanese agriculture faced a period of transition as the economy shifted to low growth, in 1981 the Agricultural Experiment Station and part of the Agricultural Technology Research Institute (mainly the agricultural management department) were merged to form a new Agricultural Research Center, with the main purpose of conducting agricultural technology research to establish land-use agriculture. Then, in 1983, in order to respond to environmental and energy issues in agriculture and progress in academic fields such as biotechnology, the Agricultural Technology Research Institute and the Plant Virus Research Institute were abolished and the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences and the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences were established. Furthermore, in 1986 the Vegetable Research Station and the Tea Research Station were merged to form the Vegetable and Tea Research Station, in 1988 the Sericulture Research Station became the Sericulture and Insect Agricultural Technology Research Institute, in 1989 the Agricultural Civil Engineering Research Station became the Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, and in 1993 the Tropical Agriculture Research Center became the International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences. In April 2001, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' national research institutes were reorganized into independent administrative institutions, and the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering, and the International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences were reorganized into independent administrative institutions, while the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences and the Institute of Sericulture and Insect Agricultural Technology became the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences. At the same time, the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization was established. Under this organization, the Agricultural Research Center became the Central Agricultural Research Center and the Crop Research Institute, the Fruit Tree Research Station became the Fruit Tree Research Institute, the Vegetable and Tea Research Station became the Vegetable and Tea Research Institute (the Floriculture Department became the Floriculture Research Institute), the Livestock Research Station and Grassland Research Station became the Livestock and Grassland Research Institute, the Livestock Hygiene Research Station became the Animal Hygiene Research Institute, and the agricultural experiment stations in each region (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu) were reorganized into agricultural research centers (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa) (the Hokuriku Agricultural Experiment Station became an institution under the jurisdiction of the Central Agricultural Research Center). The National Agriculture and Food Research Institute was reorganized as the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Policy Research Institute attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

[Suzuki Fukumatsu]

In 2003, the NARO and the Bio-oriented Technology Research Organization merged to form the NARO, which in turn merged and reorganized with the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering, the National Food Research Institute and the National Agriculture and Food Research Institute to form the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in 2006. In 2015, the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences and the NARO transitioned from independent administrative institutions to national research and development institutions. In April 2016, the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, the National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences and the Seed and Seedling Management Center were merged into the NARO.

[Editorial Department, July 19, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

農林水産業に関する試験研究のうち、とくに農業技術についての試験・調査研究を実施する機関。国立の農業試験場（現、農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構）のほか、各都道府県にも各種の公立農業試験場がある。

　日本での農業の試験研究が官制による農事試験場として発足したのは1893年（明治26）である。西ヶ原（東京都北区）に本場、全国数か所に支場を置き、農産の改良増殖に関する試験、巡回講話、土質・肥料・飼料などの分析鑑定に関する事項をつかさどった。その後、養畜、土性、製茶などの各部を強化しながら本支場体制の整備統合を進めたが、やがて大正年代に入って、畜産試験場、園芸試験場、茶業試験場が農事試験場とは別に独立した。このほか蚕業試験場を含めた農業関係の試験研究機関の組織は、昭和期の第二次世界大戦を経て戦後の機構改革まで続いた。創立以来、農事試験場の研究対象は主要食糧である稲・麦などを中心に行われてきたが、とくに作物の品種改良やそのための育種組織の確立など、日本農業の発展に大きく貢献した。

　第二次世界大戦後、農業試験研究機関の組織機構は、若干の変遷を経て、1978年（昭和53）までに、農業技術研究所、農事試験場、畜産試験場、草地試験場、果樹試験場、野菜試験場、茶業試験場、農業土木試験場、蚕糸試験場、家畜衛生試験場、食品総合研究所、植物ウイルス研究所、熱帯農業研究センター、農業総合研究所という体制が確立され、戦後農業の発展に対応して研究を実施してきた（これらの試験研究機関は、若干のものを除き、ほとんどが筑波(つくば)研究学園都市に所在していた）。他方、北海道、東北、北陸、中国、四国、九州には地域農業試験場があり、公立農業試験場と密接に連係して、地域農業の改善に関する試験研究を総合的な視点から行ってきた。

　これらは、戦後の日本農業展開の路線に沿って編成されてきたものであるが、経済の低成長移行に伴う日本農業の転換期に直面して、1981年に農事試験場と農業技術研究所の一部（主として農業経営部門）が合体し、土地利用型農業確立のための農業技術研究を主目的として、新たに農業研究センターを構成した。ついで1983年には、農業における環境・エネルギー問題やバイオテクノロジーなどの学問分野の進展に対応するため、農業技術研究所と植物ウイルス研究所を廃止し、新たに農業生物資源研究所と農業環境技術研究所が設立された。さらに1986年、野菜試験場と茶業試験場が統合されて野菜・茶業試験場に、1988年蚕糸試験場が蚕糸・昆虫農業技術研究所に、1989年農業土木試験場が農業工学研究所に、1993年熱帯農業研究センターが国際農林水産業研究センターにそれぞれ再編された。また、2001年（平成13）4月農林水産省の国立試験研究機関の独立行政法人化に伴い、農業環境技術研究所、農業工学研究所、国際農林水産業研究センターがそれぞれ独立行政法人となり、農業生物資源研究所および蚕糸・昆虫農業技術研究所が独立行政法人農業生物資源研究所になった。同時に、独立行政法人農業技術研究機構が発足。その傘下として、農業研究センターが中央農業総合研究センターおよび作物研究所に、果樹試験場が果樹研究所に、野菜・茶業試験場が野菜茶業研究所（花き部は花き研究所）に、畜産試験場および草地試験場が畜産草地研究所に、家畜衛生試験場が動物衛生研究所に、各地域（北海道、東北、中国、四国、九州）の農業試験場が農業研究センター（北海道、東北、近畿中国四国、九州沖縄）にそれぞれ名称を変え再編された（北陸農業試験場は中央農業総合研究センターの所轄機関となる）。農業総合研究所は農林水産省付属農林水産政策研究所に改組された。

［鈴木福松］

　その後、2003年に農業技術研究機構と生物系特定産業技術研究推進機構が統合して農業・生物系特定産業技術研究機構となり、さらに2006年には同機構が農業工学研究所、食品総合研究所、農業者大学校と統合・再編し、独立行政法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構となった。2015年、農業生物資源研究所、農業環境技術研究所、国際農林水産業研究センター、農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構は、独立行政法人から国立研究開発法人に移行。2016年4月、農業生物資源研究所、農業環境技術研究所および独立行政法人種苗管理センターは、農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構に統合された。

［編集部　2017年7月19日］

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