<Original Articles>Changes of Subsistence Activities and Rural Problems in Eastern Bhutan --A Case Study in Dawzor village, Kanglung Trashigang--

近代化とともにここ数十年の間の急速な開発の波はブータンの農村の生業や生活を大きく変化させてきた。本稿では東ブータンのダウゾル集落における生業の変遷を明らかにするとともに、ブータン社会のなかにおける現在の農村の位置と今後の農村開発の在り方を、現在の農村の実態を通して考察していく。ダウゾルではかつて焼畑が主たる生業であったが、1960年代後半から1970年代にかけて消滅した。その背景には森林保護に関わる政策の他、開発事業への労働徴発や市場経済化による常畑での商品作物栽培の拡大などあった。現在、集落には大きな耕作放棄地が出現し、空き家も増加している。経済偏向の開発が進み、人口の都市部への流出や輸入食料への依存が増加する中で、ブータン社会における農村の存在意義は大きく揺らいでいる。一方で、繁忙な都市生活や失業問題、輸入食料の農薬問題などを契機に、農村や農業にも徐々に目が向けられつつある。農村の存在意義の再考とともに、これまでの経済偏向の農村開発からGNH(国民総幸福)を標榜する新たな農村開発の実践に向けた大きな機宜をブータンの農村は迎えていると言える。Modernization and development programs in the last few decades have deeply affected subsistence activities and life of rural area in Bhutan. This study will clarify the changes of subsistence activities in Dawzor village located eastern Bhutan, and also discuss rural development with considering current rural situation and problems. In Dawzor, swidden was the main subsistence activity until the 1960's. Since the last half of 1960s, no swidden was practiced because of implementation of forest protection policy, labour requisition order for development projects, expansion of settled dryland cultivation with cash crop and so on. Currently, large abandoned farmland and empty houses were observed in the village. With progress in materialistic economic development programs, large number of people has migrated into urban area and farmers have also depended on cheap imported foods through economic market. As a result, rural area/the village is losing raison d'etre in the society. On the other hand, some people start to shift their eyes on rural area or agriculture with perceptions of tough urban life, unemployment problem, pesticide problem of imported foods, etc. This movement will provide opportunity for reconsideration of raison d'etre of rural area/village and new path of rural development standing apart from materialistic economic development