Research has shown that Japanese retailers have strong buying power when purchasing milk from processors, but not enough is known about differences in market competitiveness at the brand and retailer levels. In order to consider practical knowledges for the Japanese milk market, I used micro-level data to estimate a demand function using a random coefficient logit model that controls for the endogeneity of price due to unobserved heterogeneity. Then, I estimate the demand elasticity for each brand-retail combination in every prefecture each month. The markup was calculated from demand estimates. The results show that, on average, CO-OP milk tended to have a higher markup than NB and PB milk. Using counterfactuals, I find that 13% of milk products had a negative cost pass-through rate, which is concentrated in local NB milk. Finally, I show geographical differences in pass-through rates.

Cost efficiency, often used in evaluating different projects and programs in agriculture, is sensitive to a number of factors including specifications of the stochastic frontier model that call for its verification; but this issue is usually ignored. This study, however, empirically evaluates two flood control and drainage (FCD) projects, Silt-dredging and Regulative-drainage Management (SRM) and Tidal River-basin Management (TRM), implemented in the southwest coastal area of Bangladesh, with the parametric approach to cost efficiency, and verifies this estimation by the productivity-gap approach to cost-gap, in reference to fisheries production with the projects. The cost efficiency score with the SRM slightly exceeds that with the TRM by 0.05 points while the cost-gap with the SRM falls below that with the TRM by tk. 1897.68 per acre, indicating a cost-gap ratio of 1.5. The performance indicators from both of the approaches imply that the SRM system marginally outperforms the TRM. Thus, estimation of cost efficiency is verified and hence the SRM should get priority over the TRM project.

This study reviewsthe background of the Basic Law on Food，A griculture and Rmal Areas forrnulation，the aim of the new basic law，and the agricultural policy for 20 years，and introduces theresearchresults of the main policies of the Policy Research Institute，Ministry of Agriculture，Forestry and Fisheries (PRIMAFF).

The aim of this study is to review critically the rural policy development after the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas established in 1999. The following points were found. An important feature of Japanese rural policy is the use of the rural community, which has a long history. The purpose of rural policy shifted from the promotion of rural society to the management of local resources. The key to future rural policy is to support the declining rural community and promote endogenous development.

At the time of enactment of the new basic law, environmental issues were attracting attention worldwide. The Basic Environment Act was enacted in Japan the year after the 1992 Earth Summit. The promotion of such environmental policies has encouraged consumers to participate in the debate over the multifaceted functions of agriculture. On the other hand, food safety problems have also occurred frequently due to externalization of food. These key words of these 20 years have been environmental and safety issues.

The objective of this study is to anticipate international negotiations and policy response in the next 20 years. The main results are as follows. Assuming the WTO negotiations proceed, it is possible to demand a shift to green box policies for domestic support measures and also aim to achieve a level that exceeds the level of existing EPA/FTA concessions. Assuming the WTO negotiations are not progressing, there is a possibility that EPA/FTA may further progress. It is most important for Japan to establish food security in order to supply food to Japanese citizens stably.

Since the 2000s，compared with other countries，the rates of annual increase for Japanese rice，wheat，barley and soybean yields have been low. Stagnation of land productivity is a serious problem in Japanese paddy farming. On the other hand，the rapid expansion of corefarmers'farrnland is expected. In these circumstances，new farming technologies which utilize Information and Communication Technology，Robot Technology and Artificial Intelligence，so-calIed“smart agriculture" are expected. However，those technologies themselves do not convert the cultivation technology. Therefore，for the improvement of land productivity，it is necessary to develop a new cultivation system with the utilization of smart agricultural technologies.

This paper deals with: Korean ODA architecture，current features, review of literature，and issues for consideration. Many ministries are involved in Korean ODA，resulting in segmentation of ODA players，although between 2010 and 2019，the Korean ODA budget increased 2.5 times. A wide-range review of Korean literature which studied the relations between ODA and its economic impacts shows that most research focuses upon economic impacts on the macro-level Korean economy. Academic interests should identify the contributions of agricultural ODA to agricultural development of recipient countries. A case is chosen to show economic impacts of an RPC project in the Philippines.

Since 2008, JICA has made great efforts toward doubling rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa in 10 years. This study explains JICA’s approach and projects and reviews the research findings on JICA's rice training projects. The trainings on rice cultivation practices increased the rice production of the training participants, not only in the short term but also in the long term. The training benefits seem to spill over to the neighbors within the same irrigation scheme. When introducing upland rice to areas where rice was not grown, selecting areas suitable for rice cultivation is a key for sustainable adoption and production.

The main objective of this study is to assess the determinants of livelihood diversification strategies in different regions of rural China. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and MNL model are employed to analyze the data, which are obtained from randomly selected 425 households in each western and eastern China. The results indicate that the majority of households diversified their livelihoods into off-farm and non-farm activities. However, we also find several different factors that determine farmer’s choice of livelihood strategies at different significance levels in the two study areas. Therefore, development stakeholders should take different ways to expand diversification for the improvement of household income.

We use a TVECM to analyze the nature of price relationship and adjustment between local markets of cowpea in Burkina Faso. First, the estimated thresholds suggest that not only transaction costs between central market and secondary markets are asymmetric but also higher for producing markets. Second, the sign and the amplitude of adjustment parameters are consistent with the spatial equilibrium even if prices respond quickly to positive shocks than negative shocks. Finally, the distribution of observations across different trade regimes suggests that markets are well performing in the sense that they display fewer violations of competitive spatial equilibrium.

Employing social network analysis, this study quantitatively compares interorganizational collaboration networks in Tsuruoka, Noto, and Aso in Japan. These networks apply innovative strategies and techniques to the use of local agricultural resources. The major findings of this study are the following: (1) Tsuruoka’s and Noto’s networks are characterized by relatively centralized structures. (2) Aso’s network is characterized by a relatively decentralized structure. (3) Organizations that coordinate the various sectors and regions have played an important role in maintaining decentralized networks. Through comparison of the networks, we supply objective information useful for formulating structural change strategies induce sustainable development in Japan.

The objectives of this study are to identify the determinants of rice millers' adoption of quality-improving milling technologies and to evaluate the impacts of such technologies on millers' performance in Morogoro region, Tanzania. It is found that experience in rice trading is an important determinant of the adoption of such technologies. As for the impact, this study shows that the adoption of such technologies has a significant positive impact on millers' profit probably because the quality-improving technologies attract more customers. However, they do not influence the share of marketoriented varieties in the total milled rice produced.

The objective of this paper is to examine the impacts of newly adopted upland rice cultivation on lowland rice farmers’ food security and welfare. Using cross-sectional data collected from randomly selected 600 farm households in Vakinankaratra region of Madagascar, this study reveals that the adoption of upland rice cultivation has a positive impact on their food security by substantially increasing total rice production per capita. It also increases households’ food consumption and total consumption per capita. These results imply that upland rice cultivation should receive more attention from policy makers as a feasible instrument for farmers to increase rice production.

This study focuses on consumers' preferences for different types of nutrition-modified milk in urban areas of China. An online survey was conducted, which obtained 386 valid questionnaires. The results of conjoint analysis indicated that the ideal nutrition-modified milk was low-fat or skim milk. Also, consumers evaluated price least. Moreover, although the demographic effect and the influence of the level of involvement in milk had no significant effect on consumers' preference, consumers who feel very healthy and are more concerned about modified nutrition had a higher intention to purchase nutrition-modified milk.

The establishment of price-quality connection is a necessary condition for an efficient market and is generally missing in the market of locally produced rice in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Ghana. Through a rice sales experiment in the markets in peri-urban Kumasi of Ghana, this study reveals that price-quality connection can be established by constant supply of standardized premium quality rice. This study also finds that retailers who adopt the connection perform better than those without it. This is empirical evidence that not only good quality local rice but also standardized quality information matter for market development and performance improvement.

Asymmetric information about the farmers is known to limit their access to the rural credit markets. In this study we investigate whether access to better crop market through a written contract with agro-processing companies for sale of produce could improve farmers’ ability to repay their loans. We also see if the contract farmers have better access to credit in the credit market. Using instrumental variable approach, we find that contract farmers pay back their loan more quickly as compared to non-contract farmers. However, we find no evidence that the contract farmers have better access to credit in the credit market.

Microcredit is considered a potential tool for poverty alleviation. This study examines whether microcredit can contribute to an increase in the household income of rural households. We use two-year panel data obtained from a household-level randomized controlled trial (RCT) of microcredit service implemented in Tanzania. Our empirical results show that the provision of microcredit did not have a positive impact on household income. However, when the household income from different sources is examined, we find that microcredit had a positive impact on income from crops other than rice. Our findings are useful in designing microcredit products targeting agricultural communities in developing countries.

The purpose of this case study is to assess the status and challenges of agricultural machinery services of 60 households of two communes in the Central Coastal Area of Vietnam. Decision No.48/NQ-CP aiming to reduce governmental postharvest losses promoted the development of machinery services and contributed to the owner’s income structure by 36.2%. Due to low local demand for machinery services, Phong Binh owners had to expand their services to nine other provinces in hope to increase the income. The lack of information about customer demand made it challenging for the farmers to achieve the goals.

Members' commitment has a pivotal role in the effectiveness and continuity of cooperatives. Hence, using the doublehurdle and logit models, this study examines factors driving the commitment of members. The results show that education and social network have a positive and significant effect on the second and third level commitment of members. Moreover, positive perception about cooperatives increases the likelihood of member’s participation in decision making. On the contrary, members with access to regular market and located closer to the market tend to have a lower second-level commitment than otherwise. Based on the results of the study, implications are forwarded.

To meet increasing demand of urban consumers for rice, the improvement of local rice quality is urgent in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2014 a quality-based pricing scheme for purchasing paddy was introduced by a large-scale rice milling plant in the Northern region of Ghana. Does it have any impact on the quality of local rice? Applying 2SLS to 1,054 paddy transactions data collected around the plant, this study reveals that the introduction of this grading system has indirect effects on local paddy transactions: some farmers adopt transactions with quality consideration and get higher prices in selling paddy to local traders.