TY - JOUR
T1 - Interactions of knowledge systems in shiitake mushroom production
T2 - a case study on the Noto Peninsula, Japan
AU - Kohsaka, Ryo
AU - Tomiyoshi, Mitsuyuki
AU - Saito, Osamu
AU - Hashimoto, Shizuka
AU - Mohammend, Leah
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, The Japanese Forest Society and Springer Japan.
PY - 2015/10/13
Y1 - 2015/10/13
N2 - This paper examines the relationships between traditional and modern scientific knowledge regarding shiitake mushroom production in the Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan. In the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, the success of a new variety of shiitake, the Noto-Temari brand, has boosted the number of farmers, the majority of whom are new to mushroom production. Looking at the production of raw and dried mushrooms of the Noto-Temari brand, the paper compares the knowledge systems of conventional farmers and the newcomers to mushroom production. In the case of the premium-quality Noto-Temari brand, the newcomers achieve a higher rate of production than the conventional mushroom producers do. We apply the knowledge conversion framework of Polanyi (1966) to understand the dynamics of the knowledge system, and find that, in our case, traditional knowledge and techniques can be productive but can also represent obstacles to the adoption of new technology. In other words, it is possible that a knowledge of conventional technology interferes with the utilization of modern knowledge to grow the premium-quality Noto-Temari brand.
AB - This paper examines the relationships between traditional and modern scientific knowledge regarding shiitake mushroom production in the Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan. In the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, the success of a new variety of shiitake, the Noto-Temari brand, has boosted the number of farmers, the majority of whom are new to mushroom production. Looking at the production of raw and dried mushrooms of the Noto-Temari brand, the paper compares the knowledge systems of conventional farmers and the newcomers to mushroom production. In the case of the premium-quality Noto-Temari brand, the newcomers achieve a higher rate of production than the conventional mushroom producers do. We apply the knowledge conversion framework of Polanyi (1966) to understand the dynamics of the knowledge system, and find that, in our case, traditional knowledge and techniques can be productive but can also represent obstacles to the adoption of new technology. In other words, it is possible that a knowledge of conventional technology interferes with the utilization of modern knowledge to grow the premium-quality Noto-Temari brand.
KW - Log cultivation
KW - Mushroom farming
KW - Non-timber forest products
KW - Shiitake mushrooms
KW - Traditional knowledge
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U2 - 10.1007/s10310-015-0491-4
DO - 10.1007/s10310-015-0491-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84941414594
VL - 20
SP - 453
EP - 463
JO - Journal of Forest Research
JF - Journal of Forest Research
SN - 1341-6979
IS - 5
ER -