Abstract
In this study, we analyzed citizens' intentions in relation to the government's "Measures to Conserve and Improve Agricultural Land, Water, and Environment" in an area where the measures are being enforced. The study examined the maximum number of cooperative activities that the local citizens were willing to participate in voluntarily for the preservation of agricultural resources if the measures were suspended by the government. The survey involved 1886 households from 24 operating organizations in Mie Prefecture for which the measures are currently enforced. The results were analyzed for three household types: farmers, farmland owners who do not perform agricultural work, and non-farmers. The highest rate of agreement to participate was for agricultural resource maintenance and village environmental improvement work, both practiced once per year, and this was chosen by approximately half of the citizens in each group. The residents of areas where the government measures were enforced perceived a greater burden than residents of other areas in previously published study. The citizens in the enforcement areas were willing to accommodate the need for agricultural resource maintenance and village environmental improvement work. However, if the operating organization demands more cooperation from residents to perform individual work or to undertake work in which all residents are expected to participate, the participation rates of farmland owners who do not perform agricultural work and of non-farmers will drop significantly. Thus, it is necessary for operating organizations to promote an understanding of the need to participate in these cooperative activities among these household types. Further examination in areas where the measures have not been enforced will be required to deepen our understanding of these issues.
