Abstract
Inspection and certification of organic farm products and organic foods in Japan was undertaken as of June 16, 2000. But there are several disadvantages for organic farmers. The first is the burden of cost for certification. The second is increased working hours for paper work and management. The third is the problem of buffer zones. If organic farmers have set up against these disadvantages, they should plan group-farming organizations. In addition, it is necessary to support organic farmers politically. The first such support is direct payment. The second is education programs for new entries to agriculture. The third is preparation for receiving new entries to agriculture and the adjustment for farmland utilization in rural communities. But it seems that it has been difficult to support organic farmers with a single policy because there has been financial difficulty in Japan of late. Therefore,it is important to build a support plan into present farm policy.
