Collaboration and Complementary Relationships between Large Farms and New Entrants to Spread Organic Agriculture: Case of Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of collaboration and to shed light on the real state of cooperation between large farms and new entrants to organic farming. We conducted a case study on a large organic farm that collaborates with several neighboring farms as well as a new entrant in organic farming that had been collaborating with a large farm in Tsukuba for several years. To collect shared data, we conducted an interview survey with farm managers. Large organic farms buy organic vegetables from new entrants and sell them through their own distribution channels, which is beneficial for large farms as it can ensure sufficient supply to maintain ongoing relationship with buyers. This collaboration is also beneficial for new entrants as they can achieve consistent sales without the hassle of finding buyers, allowing them to focus on acquiring expertise in cultivation and business management.