2023 Volume 53 Issue 2 Pages 185-202
Farmland consolidation, clustering of farmlands to eliminate dispersion so agricultural operations can be carried out continuously and without hindrance, is imperative for achieving enhanced efficient land use. Thus far, no comprehensive approach has been available to assess the current state of nationwide farmland consolidation. However, the recent introduction of an open-source database, encompassing the geographical distribution and ownership details of farmland parcels, has paved the way for the development of a corresponding indicator. Hence, the objective of this study was to construct a land clustering index utilizing recently released Geographic Information System （GIS） data of the location and utilization of farmland. Additionally, regression analysis was employed to identify variables associated with farmland consolidation. The following results were obtained.
First, the degree of farmland consolidation exhibited regional variations. For instance, while the agglomeration of farmland preceded its consolidation in the Tohoku and Hokuriku Regions, the hilly terrains of the Chugoku Region witnessed concurrent agglomeration and consolidation. Second, the tobit regression models illustrated a statistically significant positive correlation between farmland consolidation and the percentage of farmland area cultivated by large farmers. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a stronger positive relationship between the percentage of farmland area cultivated by large farmers and farmland consolidation in mid-mountainous areas where community-based farms are more prevalent. Additionally, the findings indicated that an increase in the farmland managed by farmers through the utilization of farmland banks has the potential to facilitate farmland consolidation, particularly in flatland regions.
This study not only exemplifies the effectiveness of employing open-source data to quantify farmland consolidation but also emphasizes the importance of focusing on community-based farms and the role played by farmland banks in fostering farmland consolidation.
JEL Classifications:N55, Q15, Q18
