In this study, the role of a Business Risk Management Program to stabilize farm income was examined together with the characteristics of new fruits industry strategies based on a field survey undertaken in Ontario Province, the largest apple production areas in Canada. The results are summarized as follows. Regarding apple production in Canada, many orchards were forced to discontinue due to a vicious cycle resulting from the decreasing yields, increasing imports and the declining prices since the late 1990s. Thus, despite the Business Risk Management Program's contribution to farm income stabilization, it was difficult to maintain the apple reproduction in this period. Therefore the fruits strategy aimed to achieve differentiation from imported apples with a 'buy local' campaign. Currently, the Ontario Provincial government is expanding the OVTP as a support system that encourages orchards to plant newer quality varieties of trees as well as organizing efforts to actively promote the consumption of local produce through connections between fruits growers, retailers and the food service industry in connection with the fruits industry strategy.

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This present research has clarified the following points. First, along with rising incomes, expenditures for dining out among Chinese urban citizens have been increasing at an extremely high rate since the latter half of the 1990s. However, the proportion of expenditures for dining out among all food expenditures has remained level since 2006. This is due to the slowing of income growth and the diversification of expenditures for dining out. Second, individuals in their 20s and 30s dine out frequently, but this is not the case among the middle-aged and elderly (50 years and older). Also, individuals in their 20s are the age group for which the increase in expenditures for dining out is the most pronounced, while such expenditures have been decreasing among individuals in their 50s and older. Third, traditional Chinese foods such as noodles and jiaozi (dumplings) are frequently chosen from restaurant menus, but fast food and rice bowls are also prevalent choices. The preference for fast food is particularly pronounced among the younger generation. Fourth, there are differences among cities in terms of the frequency of dining out as well as dining choices. This background of regional particularity is informed by differences in eating habits and food culture. Thus, it is clear that menu choices as well as upward and downward trends in the frequency of outside dining differ greatly across different age groups. Therefore, it is proper to view the diversity of forms of outside dining and the associated changes in relation to the life cycles of urban citizens.

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After the avian influenza outbreak in 2003, Thai consumers paid much higher attention to the potential of 'hybrid chicken.' This chicken is the producers' original hybrid chicken, and the chicken species and feeding methods are different from broiler chickens. Thus the image of the hybrid chicken is heather, and some small farmers with free-range chickens changed their production to the hybrid. This paper analyzed the effect of this change, and the result shows that there was a ten fold gain in average income.

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This article clarifies factors affecting the level of household food security, measured on a subjective basis, in a mountainous area of central Java. Results of our analysis clearly indicate that economic shock affects negatively household food security, and relation networks, size of cultivated area, number of off-farm workers outside the village, numbers of clove trees and the varieties of crops create a positive influence. In addition, regardless of the cultivated area, there is a positive relation between household food security and the numbers of trees and varieties of crops. The findings indicate that agroforestry systems combining cash tree crops and annual food crops can improve household food security in mountainous areas.

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The present research analyzed the redistribution of food loss by Food Bank systems in the world. In the United States, Food Bank systems collect shipping cost from a beneficiary. When food is short, Food Bank purchases to obtain sufficient stores and offers food for aid. In Korea, Food Bank systems keeps the pride of the beneficiary by selling food that Food Bank collected in low-priced "Food Markets". In EU countries, Food Bank systems redistribute food from the public food aid program called "PEAD". On the other hand, the development of Food Bank systems in Japan is not clear. The required logistics preparation together with a large necessary investment is required not for only a domestic Food Bank, but also needed to be an independent support system.

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[in Japanese]

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Resident's decreasing concern towards agriculture has become a social problem in Japan. When looking to the long-term and seeking a means to address this problem, education of children to gain agricultural understanding takes on increasing importance. This study examined the important factors of family education for agricultural understanding by using structural equation models. The results show that improved communications concerning food on the basis of parents concerns and understandings of agriculture brought higher consideration of food safety and frequency of cooking at home, and children's understanding of agriculture was improved.

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Traditional agricultural products that are eco-friendly have been increasingly produced in China over the past several years. Such agricultural production was changed sharply through Chinese economic reform under the agricultural structural adjustment in which the government promoted crop conversion. This study assessed changes and problems of agriculture products and crop composition in F District. This district is located in the Chongqing Direct Control City, which is famous for the indigenous product named Zhacai. The findings show that there were two changes of the traditional crop area in regional agriculture. First, commercial agriculture was changed in two directions: introduction of new crops and conversion of traditional crop. Second, grain production decreased over the term.

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