Evaluating the social value of agriculture and rural areas are indispensable for sustainable decision-making. These so-called “social and cultural functions” of agriculture are likely to affect how producers and consumers perceive nature and natureʼs contribution to people of production sites. In this study, applying a novel framework, relational values of nature (hereafter, relational values), we quantitatively examined how conservation agriculture affects the relational values of producers and consumers. Relational values are irreplaceable values that are built on human-nature relationships. Scholars consider agricultureʼs cultural and social aspects as part of relational values and argue that relational values can be improved by agriculture. Furthermore, regarding consumers, existing research claims that purchasing agricultural products on a specific production site may enhance the relational values toward the place regardless of their direct relationships. We surveyed 70 producers and 147 consumers of “Yuki Genki Shojiki Nogyo,” the conservation agriculture programme operated by the Ikeda Town, Fukui Prefecture, which aims to enhance the wellbeing and social bonds among producers beside its pro-environmental goals. We analyzed the producer and consumer models using Structural Equation Modeling, SEM. The result of SEM suggested that producers who evaluate the effect of conservation agriculture practices more are likely to have higher eudaimonism and social cohesion. Consumers, who evaluate the quality of the products, evaluate the relational values towards producers and production sites. Both consumers and producers evaluated the values of nature for themselves and others. The result also implies that indirect interactions like purchasing the products may improve peopleʼs relational values.
