Abstract
We examined the current status and future challenges of good agricultural practice (GAP) operation in Japan. The status of four JAs (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) and their 668 member farmers in Tochigi Prefecture, where GAP operation is most advanced, was surveyed by self-evaluation questionnaire and investigation of outsiders on the basis of the Japan GAP standard. The survey results indicated that (1) levels of achievement in GAP operation by farmers was good, whereas those of JA staff were poor; (2) these poor achievement levels resulted from the fact that JA staff did not have sufficient knowledge of the GAP management system and were not aware that the JAs themselves had to take the initiative; (3) GAP management systems differed qualitatively among JAs, and an increased level of GAP management in a JA resulted in an increased level of GAP operation by its farmers; and (4) an increased level of GAP understanding by farmers resulted in an increased level of GAP operation. We conclude that, in order to improve understanding of GAP and the quality of GAP operation in regional agriculture, JAs need to improve the quality of their GAP management systems by understanding the meaning and content of GAP and to conduct GAP training of their farmers under the GAP management systems.
