UPSC Prelims 2022 Q50: Miyawaki Method — Explained
The "Miyawaki method" is well known for the:
- Promotion of commercial farming in arid and semi-arid areas
- Development of gardens using genetically modified flora
- Creation of mini forests in urban areas
- Harvesting wind energy on coastal areas and on sea surfaces
Answer: (c) Creation of mini forests in urban areas
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — The Miyawaki method is a way of planting forests, not a farming system. It restores native woodland with no commercial harvest. Dryland farming in arid and semi-arid areas uses methods such as watershed development and drought-hardy crops, which have nothing to do with Miyawaki.
- b: incorrect — The method deliberately uses indigenous species, chosen from the 'potential natural vegetation' of the site. Genetically modified plants have no part in it. The urban forest planted at the CAG office in New Delhi in July 2020 used about 12,000 saplings of 59 native species, such as Dhonk, Palash, Khejri and Falsa.
- c: correct — Japanese plant ecologist Akira Miyawaki (1928–2021) developed the technique. Many native species are planted very close together, so that a small patch of land becomes a dense, multi-layered forest that sustains itself within a few years. It suits small urban plots. Examples include the CAG office park in New Delhi (just over 1 acre, inaugurated on 2 July 2020) and India's first Miyawaki forest, planted in 2009 at Toyota's Bidadi plant in Karnataka.
- d: incorrect — Miyawaki is a forestry technique, not an energy technology. Coastal and offshore wind energy in India comes under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's offshore wind policy and has no connection to the method.
How to eliminate
This is a pure fact question. You either know that 'Miyawaki' is a forest-planting method or you don't. Some reasoning still helps. 'Miyawaki' is a Japanese surname, which points to a person-named technique, as in ecology or forestry, rather than a technology. Distractors built on 'genetically modified' are rarely right for a method known for restoring nature. Restoration techniques are about native species, the opposite of GM flora. Commercial farming in arid areas and offshore wind are unrelated sectors, added to look plausible. The fact to remember is Miyawaki = dense native mini-forests, often on small urban plots.
Know more
The Miyawaki method was developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki (1928–2021) of Yokohama National University. It grew out of his study of potential natural vegetation, the native plant community a site would support without human disturbance. He mapped this across Japan using surviving remnants, such as old forests around shrines and temples.
How it works
- Survey the site and pick native species from the local natural forest.
- Prepare the soil with organic matter (biomass, compost, mulch).
- Plant saplings very densely, usually about 3–5 per square metre, mixing canopy, sub-tree, shrub and ground layers.
- Water and weed for about 2–3 years. After that the forest is meant to sustain itself.
| Feature | Miyawaki forest | Conventional plantation |
|---|---|---|
| Species | Many native species | Often one or a few species, sometimes exotic |
| Density | Very high (several per m²) | Wide spacing |
| Structure | Multi-layered | Usually single-layered |
| Space needed | Works on small plots | Needs larger tracts |
| Care | Intensive for 2–3 years, then minimal | Long-term management |
Why cities use it: Supporters say these forests cool their surroundings, filter dust, and give birds and pollinators a habitat. At the CAG forest's launch in 2020, the Environment Minister claimed they could cut local temperature by up to 14 degrees and raise moisture by more than 40%. Treat these as claims, not measured averages.
Limits: It is costly per hectare, and dense planting increases competition between trees. A small patch is not a substitute for protecting natural forests.
In India: The first one was at Toyota, Bidadi (Karnataka) in 2009, and many cities have followed. The related scheme is the Nagar Van Yojana (2020), funded through CAMPA, which builds urban forests near cities.
In the news
Akira Miyawaki died on 16 July 2021. Through 2020–22, Indian cities were planting many 'Miyawaki forests' in the news, including the CAG office urban forest in New Delhi and others linked to the Nagar Van Yojana.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Urban heat island: Urban mini-forests are promoted mainly to fight the urban heat island effect, so this tells you what kind of place the method is used in.