This research focuses on the current development status, operating mechanism, organizational structure, existing problems and operating status of Y and S specialized farmers cooperatives and their member households in an area of Inner Mongolia in order to illustrate the future development of specialized farmers cooperatives. From the research result, it can be seen that the specialized farmers' cooperative is a relatively new farming operation method in Inner Mongolia, but the cooperative is still at the beginning stage of development. Since the establishment of Y and S specialized farmers' cooperatives, they have realized a profit in the last three years and this has helped to increase the income of their members. However, there are also problems as follow. Firstly, for Y specialized farmers' cooperatives, it limited its member's income and its assets accumulation and business expansion by operation of 'investment in kind.' Secondly, member households are not provided with all the essential elements available to farmers' cooperatives, which limits the ability of farmers' cooperatives to increase farmer's income. Thirdly, Y and S specialized farmers' cooperatives are both involved in farming processing; expanding of specialized farmers' cooperatives business requires an integration of other farming elements. Finally, these two specialized farmers' cooperatives, Y and S, have not integrated the grassland which should be under proper management and use, therefore those specialized farmers' cooperative do not perform well in protecting the environment of grassland.

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In 2006, a positive list system related to agrochemicals was enforced in Japan. This system is affecting the usage of agrochemicals in Japanese farm operation. In this paper, the author investigates the usage and awareness of agrochemicals by farmers in an urban area, based on opinions and data collected by semi-structured interviews with responding farmers. Unban farmers have to use agrochemicals while paying attention to various stakeholders. The agro-cooperative has great importance on the distribution and information access of agrochemicals. Customers have an interest in whether the farm uses the chemicals or not, but most customers also assent to the explanation by the farm sector concerning the chemical usage. The minor crop issue is imposing a strong restriction to the farmers trying to introduce new varieties.

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In this paper, the agricultural company Jardin Co., Ltd. (J company) was chosen as a case study. J company founded a farm in Laiyang, Shandong province of China in 2007 which now produces flower and vegetable seedlings. At first, the strategy of the Laiyang farm was to utilize the cheap labor force to produce seedlings and export them to Japan. Then as labor costs began to rise, the merit of exporting decreased, and the strategy was converted into the sale of seedlings in China. In addition, J company has established a farm in Dalat City, Vietnam in 2013 as the export base for Japan and South Korea. J company has expanded to become a global business in only seven years, from 2007 to the present. One explanation for its success is that J company could take prompt action when circumstances changed and/or problems arose. The following three conditions enabled the conversion of J company's business expansion: (1) foreign apprentices, trained in Japan but employed in China; (2) use of a production-control manual; and (3) creation of seedling sales market.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between awareness about agriculture and the purchasing behavior of customers who came to buy local agriculture products in a farmers' market. The business operation of the case study could be regarded as green tourism. Through interviewing customers by using structured questionnaires, we found that half of the respondents would consider the sustainability of agriculture and rural community when making a purchase. However, younger consumers tended to pay more attention to costs than such concerns. Those consumers who understood the importance of agriculture less than others were least likely to purchase local products. Thus, awareness building about agriculture problem is an effective tool to encourage consumers' active purchasing.

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This research of this paper divided the development process of the carrot production area in Tsuken Island, Okinawa into three periods in order to arrange and clarify the situation regarding the reduction and retreat period that occurred. After Okinawa's reversion to Japan in 1972, improvement of a carrot production base was carried out on this island, and carrot production accordingly increased. As a result, Tsuken Island became well-established as a carrot production area. However, the amount of production decreased rapidly after end of 1990s. The factors are summarized into the following four points. First was the weakening of the labor force. Second was the inability to maintain a sorting system of the Agricultural Cooperative. Third was a decreasing carrot yield due to aging irrigation facilities. Last was overall lower market prices. The paper concludes that it is necessary to overcome these factors in order to maintain the carrot production area in Tsuken Island, Okinawa.

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Depopulation and Population Ageing in Japanese rural area are seriously progressing. In response, the concept of 'Social Capital (SC)' is attracting attention as the new means of facing these problems. The importance of SC is found in its potential for developing effects of the life of people and economy. Among of urban-rural exchange, 'Working Holiday in rural area (WH)' also carries out important tasks. WH means giving lodging and meals for city dwellers for free in exchange for working on a farm during busy seasons. It is said that farmers can get many opportunities to reappraise the value of their area seen through city dwellers eyes as compared to another urban-rural exchange on the basis of sharing time with the visitors, the so-called 'Mirror Effect' of WH. Therefore, this article conducted analysis of change of local communities from the point of view of SC using two questionnaire surveys and examples of WH in Tankou area, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As a conclusion, four changes of local communities are confirmed as 'Mirror Effect' of WH. First, the potential of accumulating of SC in area and, second, vitalization of local communities. Third, expansion of new community activities and, finally, a reappraisal of the value of agriculture and rural area.

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インドネシア西スマトラ州の有機稲作農業は農家グループを単位として取り組まれており、87グループが確認されている。うち7グループを対象に調査したところ、3グループが有機認証を取得していた。有機稲作農業者は小規模で、多くは女性が中心を担っている。有機稲作に取り組む主たる動機は、環境と健康への配慮である。政府が打ち出したゴー・オーガニック2010プログラムに則して、各省は独自のアプローチで有機農業を推進している。西スマトラ州は、専門官と経験豊富な有機農業者のチームワークによってその普及を行ってきている。同州農政部は、農家にインセンティブ、専門有機農業者には報酬を支給することでサポートを行っている。

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This paper clarifies the new effort and achievement of beef cattle area in supply of Japanese Brown, focusing on "Tosa Akaushi" of Kochi Prefecture. In Kochi Prefecture, a distribution price system which ensures quality level and leads to income stabilization of farmers was introduced in the beef carcass market. In addition, a marketing strategy which focuses on restaurants outside the prefecture has been proceeding.

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Okinoerabu Island is one of the major potato producing regions of Kagoshima prefecture. There is keen competition between shipper's union and the 13 jobbers in the producing area to collect cargo on the basis not only of price but also non-price factors. Under the situation, the shipper's union cannot supply sufficient volume to wholesale market. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the actual situation of the shipment of farmhouses, along with the consciousness and intention for the development of the potato producing region. We clarified that the farmhouses shipping to both shipper's union and jobbers in producing area are a minority group, but they are farm households cultivating a potato mainly and on the large scale. It greatly influences quantity of collection of cargo of the receiver that the farmhouse regards the occasional price as important, and to choose the receiver. And it is thought the instability of the quantity of collection of cargo of shipper's union and the jobbers in producing area are puffed up by them. It is the big factor that they cannot ship to the wholesale market as a production center.

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