Abstract
In the context of an increasing focus on the multifaceted functions of agriculture and rural areas, this paper focuses on community-based agriculture and aims to demonstrate the potential for agricultural regional classification in modern Japan from the perspective of maintaining farmland and local communities. We examine indicators based on the conditions and roles of community farming in municipalities, and categorize and classify the agricultural regions using a multivariate analysis method. As a result, we derive regional typologies and geographical classifications. The results show that there are two underlying factors influencing community-based agriculture: (1) regional characteristics, such as the type of agriculture, particularly the presence or absence of traditional rice-based agriculture, and (2) the policies of the prefectural government. We find that the management of local communities and farmland is active in areas that practice traditional farming, but that community-based farming activities are influenced by various related policies, as community farming is policy driven in nature.
