The Japanese government has encouraged rural farming communities to develop master plans for sustainable agricultural production. Consensus building is indispensable for this process, although it is usually difficult due to conflicts of interest among the community members. In this study, I used a questionnaire survey conducted in Minamiawaji City and an analysis of the 2010 Agriculture Census to examine the community characteristics associated with the success or failure of consensus building in developing a master plan. The following three factors were identified: whether community-based farming was being conducted, the proportion of farm households with agricultural workers below the age of 65, and the availability of a successor to the farm. The presence of a management entity that sustains regional agriculture in the long term facilitates consensus building in rural communities.
