抄録
The bulk of farm management is steadily shifting from traditional family-operated farms to family farms that have no full-time farmers. Business-style family farming that depends on hired labor is increasing. The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible changes in the characteristics of business management problems and in the fundamental character of family farming that might be brought about as traditional family farming proceeds towards a style of farming that is dependent on hired labor.
The specific topics covered are as follows. This paper first determines the direction in which family farming dependent on hired labor is heading. Second, analytic hierarchy process and operations research is used to show the characteristics of the business objectives that this type of farming has, and whether it makes economic sense to hire labor. Third, an attempt is made to shed light on the extent to which advances have been achieved in labor management, which is a typical business management problem.
Family farming that depends on hired labor becomes viable through a process of sustainable-scale expansion through innovation. The character of management differs from that of traditional management in terms of business objectives, proprietors’ perceptions, operational principles, and other aspects. In addition to the practices of production management that have prevailed on family farms, business management now aims to more effectively utilize large-scale business resources and finds more importance in financial management owing to multiple capital injections, the conduct of sales management as farmers develop their own sales channels, and in expanding into labor management owing to the growth in the quality and quantity of hired labor.
These business objectives emphasize raising income levels. As such, proprietors put a high priority on hiring workers, and believe that business management ability and innovation are important. Increase in expected income demands an increase in total working hours, and this is achieved by hiring labor when family members reach the limit of their labor supply. Growth in the amount of hiring leads to an expanded equilibrium which increases family labor productivity and land productivity. The reason is that the marginal productivity of hired labor is greater than the wages paid. As long as this holds, the use of hired labor in the production venue makes economic sense.
In such farming, the place of hired labor is shifting from supplementary labor to core labor, and the number of hired workers is rising. The focus of labor management is becoming more sophisticated and is moving from working conditions, wages, and employee benefits toward the non-economic motivation of managing human relationships, education and training, and managing the willingness to work.
