Management Adaptation in Large-Scale Agricultural Corporations under Rural Depopulation

A Hokkaido Case Study

Abstract

This study examines how large-scale agricultural corporations in Hokkaido that manage local resources are established under conditions of rapid depopulation and aging. The following points are clarified. First, a case study shows that a farm in X Town expanded to approximately 173 ha by consolidating farmland vacated by exiting farmers. To maintain an appropriate cropping balance, this farm temporarily increased the proportion of labor-intensive buckwheat and wheat. It also expanded paddy rice, the core of its rice production by securing suitable workers, machinery, and facilities. Second, the study finds that sparse planting and direct seeding have been adopted in remote paddy fields to mitigate severe constraints related to seedling production and transportation in rice cultivation. For such large-scale agricultural corporations to be established and operate stably, management strategies that respond to both internal and external business environments are essential.