The Relationship between Post-harvest Operation and Marketing Channels for Field Vegetable Management in Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Welsh Onion Cultivation in Chiba Prefecture

Abstract

This study aims to clarify how a farmer’s choice of shipping destination in urban agriculture is related to cultivation size and working hours during post-harvest operations. Our case study focused on Welsh onion cultivation in Chiba Prefecture. We conducted interview surveys to collect data on the management of Welsh onion cultivation and its marketing channels in urban and remote areas. In urban areas, farmers tend to choose different marketing channels based on cultivation size. This flexibility leads to differences in the work systems of post-harvest operations and work efficiency, as measured by shipping quantity per work hour. Conversely, in remote areas, cooperative shipping is dominant, resulting in fewer shipping destination options and smaller disparities in work efficiency among farmers. Urban agriculture enables diverse shipping destinations, allowing for the selection of shipping options based on production scale, which in turn enhances the work efficiency of large-scale farmers.