Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify the components for the improvement of outdoor spaces in farmyards and to suggest guidelines for the planning of these spaces. The objects of this study were the general farmyards located around farmhouses which had government support for the construction of on-site gardens. The results were as follows: 1. Although over 50% of the general farmyards did not have gardens, most gardens of farmyards (90% and over) featured trees and/or flowers. This demonstrated that the residents of the farmyards thought positively about green spaces. 2. With the establishment of a garden, the self-image of the household improved along with the physical environment. Thus, the construction of the garden brought about psychologically and physically positive results. 3. Regarding the degree of satisfaction with green space and shade, the rate of farmyards with gardens was higher than those without. With more government support for developing such green spaces, satisfaction with them could increase. The same result was obtained regarding the degree of satisfaction towards visual harmony with nearby farmyards, indicating that neighboring farm households want to have positive relationships with one another. 4. The frequency of use of living space increased through the construction of gardens in farmyards, in spite of decreased working space. %is aspect could be used as data in the planning of gardens in farmyards. 5. The perceived necessity of gardens in the general farmyards and desire to construct new gardens rose. This preference was high in gardens with abundant greenery and a lot of rest facilities. This study suggests those reasons result from a poor farm economy. With government support, general farmyards without gardens could construct gardens. And we might infer that the residents' desire to construct a garden in general famyards had been influenced by a neighbor with a garden.