Cultural and tourism attraction in workaway projects as a sustainable agriculture development attempt in rural area: A case study of a Workaway Project in Yufuin

Japanese Studies, School of Strategic and Global Studies, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: brisbania.ayu81@ui.ac.id

Abstract

Industrialization and the attraction of the city have generated urbanization from the villages to the big cities. The downgrading scheme can be seen through the agricultural sector which suffers several serious problems toward the increase of a mass urbanization, ageing society, and the decline of the young farmers’ population. The data of this research is analyzed with qualitative methods using content analysis of the literature studies. The explanation will be provided by analyzing what aspects which could make Workaway projects sustainable, including the cultural exchange form and the tourism attraction aspect. The projects mainly tend to focus in finding the workers using counterurbanization attraction of the tourism magnetism around the place. There are approximately 60 projects which are related to agriculture projects around Japan. The purpose of this research is to identify and explain how Workaway Project in Yufuin can provide the network between the local community and the international society to contribute in helping the local farmers. This research found that the project is helpful in solving part of the problems in Japanese agriculture in rural areas.