This study examines the impact of management objectives and business management for growth on the adoption of organic farming by agricultural corporations. The study involved a nationwide questionnaire survey of agricultural corporations, and a decision tree analysis was conducted using the adoption of organic farming as the objective variable and management objectives and business management for growth as explanatory variables. The findings of this study showed that the adoption of organic farming varied depending on the management objectives and business management strategies for growth adopted by the corporations. Therefore, it is practical to encourage agricultural corporations to adopt organic farming by considering their management objectives and business management for growth.

This study examines how midcareer hires are used for managing agricultural corporations in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido and the characteristics of their human resource development measures. The case study shows that midcareer hires with 11 or more years of work experience are recruited to supplement the knowledge and skills lacking in the agricultural corporation. They are used as human resource development measures and directions for use within the organization for reforming organizations and improving operational efficiency. The study also showed that midcareer hires are stably employed by distinguishing their employment conditions from those of other employees and conducting multiple interviews.

This study uses “Working Holiday Iida” as an example, which is known for having one of the highest number of participating farmers in Japan, to understand the effect of contributing to supplementary labor for host farmers, which is one of the primary purposes of working holiday (WH). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers who had temporarily stopped accepting WH were forced to not only hire but also spend a significant amount on hired labor as a substitute for WH. In this study, we gathered comprehensive data on three types of externally sourced labor (WH, agricultural employment and labor exchange between farmers) at Farm A over a span of six years. We then analyzed the actual employment costs during this period and the employment opportunity cost assuming substitution for WH employment. This analysis helped us determine the magnitude of WH’s labor contribution to agricultural management.

Dairy farms must dispose of animal waste from their livestock. Generally, it is eventually disposed of on farmland by spraying in the form of compost or slurry. In Japan, dairy farms have increased the number of cows, and free-stall barn has become common. Using a free-stall barn, animal waste is discharged as slurry. A biogas system that uses slurry to generate electricity by methane fermentation is an effective method for disposing the slurry. When using a biogas system, digested slurry remains. The Hokkaido Tokachi region is said to have large scale upland farms; furthermore, some dairy farms also exist in the area. We examine the actual conditions regarding the increase in breeding numbers in dairy farming and the use of digested slurry as a fertilizer, especially for cultivating upland crops, through a use of a biogas system plant in the area.

In 2014, the government established the Farmland Intermediary Management Institution to promote farmland accumulation for leading farmers. The initial target was to increase the accumulation rate to 80% by March 2024. However, the rate has not yet reached 60% as of March 2023. Therefore, this study proposes an effective farmland accumulation plan using multiple correspondence analyses using a farmer survey conducted by the local government. This study focused on Kimitsu City in Chiba Prefecture, where although suburban agriculture is flourishing the gap in production conditions is widening. According to the results, it is impractical to solely plan for agricultural villages as the suppliers and receivers of farmland are often located far away. Therefore, it is important to develop a land use plan for areas beyond the agricultural villages in the future.

This study analyzes the economic ripple effects related to Japanese exports of agricultural, forestry, fishery, and food products, in 2022 using an input–output model. The export value of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products in 2022 is significant for products such as scallops, yellowtail, and fruits, which have been actively promoted for export by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. Based on the input–output analysis, the export of processed food products stimulates the production of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products as intermediate inputs and thus make a substantial contribution to employment and value addition in rural regions. However, the study shows that to increase the export amount to 5 trillion yen, it is important to address the challenges of securing a workforce and enhancing labor productivity.

Rice export has become crucial for maintaining domestic production in the face of a reduction in domestic consumption by 100,000 tons every year. As a result, the quantity and value of rice exports are increasing. The key to boosting rice exports is to improve cost competitiveness. Earlier studies have focused on aspects of the production. However, this study shows the distribution cost structure, which has been hitherto overlooked, and highlights the important points for improving cost competitiveness. This study used A company as a case study, which collects and export rice in Ibaraki Prefecture. The study yielded the following conclusions. First, the increase in rice export was contingent on the purchase price imposed on producers, which in turn stipulated the Free on Board (FOB) price at export ports. Second, this study did not confirm the difference in distribution cost affecting cost competitiveness.

Beer Barley is a typical raw material for the food industry and an essential crop for land use. The expansion of its production has direct implications for food security. This paper focuses on domestic food barley production dexpanding in the 2010s, while beer barley production did not, simultaneously increase. We examine the conditions for expanding domestic beer barley production, identifying three factors: limited area due to malting location, highly variable production capacity, and the impact of rice price measures on rotation subsidies, which is particularly significant. The brewer-grower contract premium is at a level that would result in high margins for farmers with production capacity; however, profit margins are lower for the average barley farmer than the returns from subsidized food barley production.

Deregulation has allowed a wide variety of companies to enter the agricultural industry; However, many issues must be addressed at entry, such as obtaining lands and sales channels and employment concerns.

This study considers the case of entry into agriculture by a government-certified driving school, examining whether agricultural operations are effectively allocated in the “Spare time” during off-seasons. During off-seasons, teaching hours have been partially replaced with agricultural work. Furthermore, non-teaching positions have been also substituted. Conversely, during the peak-season from August to September, the school has been unable to manage the same number of teaching hours due to the increased labor required to maintain the agricultural aspect of business. This situation has been assumed to increase the burden on full-time teaching staff and the school.

This study aims to clarify the current situation and issues regarding an environment-friendly school lunch supply system. We investigate a school lunch in Suncheon City, Jeollanam-do, which has been operating as an environment-friendly school lunch supply system for a long time. Suncheon Agricultural Cooperative supplies environment-friendly agricultural products to the school lunch by cultivating contracts with regional union farmers. Items not produced there are procured by guiding cultivation methods or providing facility support to union farmers. They have also created a stable production system by allowing farmers to sell their products at farmers’ markets. Ensuring good agreement and understanding between the administration, school, agricultural cooperative, and producers is vital for supplying environment-friendly agricultural products for school lunch. To this end, understanding how pricing levels, administrative support systems, and environment-friendly agricultural products can coexist is essential.

This paper uses an ordered probit model to clarify the influence of staple foods on meal satisfaction by employing web-based questionnaire survey data on actual meals eaten and the respondents’ satisfaction. The results showed that staple foods adversely affected meal satisfaction, especially regarding satisfaction with nutrition. Furthermore, staple foods were negatively significant at mealtimes most people ate, indicating that eating more does not necessarily mean higher satisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary to educate consumers regarding the importance of staple foods in dietary balance and provide information that will make them aware of this important dietary habit in maintaining good health.

The number of farms with disabled people has increased in Japan recently. Working methods have been diversifying, and it has become increasingly clear that each has its merits, such as solving labor shortages on the agricultural side and creating workplaces for disabled people on the welfare side. For a long time, only a few wineries, such as the Coco Farm Winery, have engaged disabled people in viticulture and winemaking, however, in recent years, wineries in Nagano Prefecture have also started engaging in farming with disabled people. This study surveyed and analyzed these wineries, has clarified the reasons for the spread of farming with disabled people in the wineries. We examined the affinity between disabled people and viticulture and winemaking and considered the potential of farming with them in wineries in the future.

This study analyzed the willingness to purchase and the price evaluation concerning pork and processed pork products labeled with local feed origin. The results showed that residents are highly willing to purchase pork and processed pork products with local feed labels. We also determined that the factors that positively influence the willingness to purchase pork with local feed labels are a high level of “safety and environmental consciousness” and a low level of “money-saving consciousness”. Furthermore, we found that the factors positively influencing the willingness to purchase processed pork products with a local feed label were female, higher “safety and environmental consciousness”, and lower “savings consciousness”. Nonetheless, the price evaluation was similar to the products without local feed labels, and that might be due to consumers’ low interest in the origin of the feed, and their low awareness of the current dependence on overseas sources for feed.

This paper used choice-based conjoint analysis to estimate consumer preferences and the willingness of consumers to pay for the use of Japanese corn feed for pork production. Based on this, we provided information to clarify the extent to which consumer evaluation of pork increases, elucidating the following points. First, when information was presented, the effectiveness of the information was suggested, i.e., using domestically produced corn will provide safe and secure pork. Pork produced using Japanese corn feed is thought to become more popular as opportunities to present such safety information increase. This paper’s greatest contribution is that our findings indicate that pork produced using Japanese corn feed can be popularized.

In South Korea and Japan, the livestock insurance (mutual aid) system is an important risk management tool for farmers. South Korea’s livestock accident insurance is arguably the same as Japan’s death and abolition mutual aid; however, the primary subscription livestock of the two countries are entirely different. This study aims to clarify the status and purpose of using livestock insurance for pig farmers in South Korea and dairy farmers in Japan, who are significant subscribers of each country’s system. We visited and surveyed two pig-farming households in South Korea and used livestock insurance statistics data; livestock mutual aid statistics data were used for dairy farmers in Japan. We determined that pig farmers in South Korea use the system “insurance” to prepare for fire accidents, and dairy farmers in Japan use the system as a “subsidy.”