Analysis of Dairy Farm Exit Factors in Hokkaido

An Approach with the 2010 and 2015 Census of Agriculture

Abstract

In Hokkaido, the largest dairy prefecture in Japan, further reductions in the number of dairy farmers may cause rural communities to collapse. Therefore, in order to understand exactly the exit factor for dairy farms, we analyzed linked data from the 2010 and 2015 census of agriculture descriptively and quantitatively. As a result, we discovered that each region in Hokkaido has unique exit factors. This means that conventional unified policies will not work in many areas. We therefore need to formulate countermeasures against exit of dairy farmers appropriate for each region with reference to this study's results.