Various technological innovations have been introduced in the agricultural and food sectors over time. Along with engineering and mechanical technologies, biological and chemical technologies have had a significant impact on the state of agricultural production, food processing, and consumption. In this literature review, I will take up genome editing technology and review what kind of research has been conducted in the field of agricultural economics as well as in the surrounding social sciences. Specifically, I review research trends related to consumer awareness （e.g., web surveys） and social acceptability, and then review research trends related to regulation and governance. The review reveals that, compared to genetic modification technology, the discussion covers a wide range of issues, including （1） new issues accompanying the expansion of the range of application of the technology, （2） the impact of simplification in the use of the technology, and （3） issues related to regulatory responses by various countries.

The objective of this study is to clarify the activities for farmland conservation by the extended-area community-based group farming composed of several villages, and to examine the role and challenges of extended-area community-based group farming in the conservation of farmland in the region. The study tries to clarify the general role and challenges by examining farms with different corporate forms. First, community-based group farming contributes 4 activities for conservation of farmland. However, secondly, it was inferred that there are limits to the maintenance of agricultural land conservation, even for the extended-area community-based group farming.

This study analyzes the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the relocation of Tokyo’s Wholesale Market from Tsukiji to Toyosu in 2018 on arrivals’ volume variability across four species and eight products. Using a dynamic conditional correlation GARCH model, it finds varying effects on different tuna commodities. While popular fish arrivals stabilized after shocks, high-end fish showed inconsistent trends. The conditional correlation between fresh produce decreased post-relocation and during emergencies but recovered later. Overall, the study suggests mixed effects of exogenous shocks on Japan’s tuna shipments without major disruptions in the food supply chain.

I analyzed the changes in agricultural structure and differences in productivity by farmland size in citrus producing areas by using the agricultural census. In recent years, agriculture in citrus production areas has been declining severely. In particular, the situation in islands in the Seto Inland Sea is so serious that it can be described as the collapse of local agriculture. It is suggested that the current productivity gap by farmland size is shifting from the medium-size advantage structure, which was pointed out before, to the large-scale advantage structure. But, in production areas such as the islands in the Seto Inland Sea, where the labor force has been declining precipitously, the large-scale advantage structure is weak.

This study analyzes the relationship among an agricultural corporation’s succession patterns — interfamilial succession, succession outside relatives and no successor — and its sales and personnel system with a multi-logit model. The analysis shows the following results. First, sales are related to succession patterns significantly — it is greater for interfamilial succession, succession outside relatives and no successor, in that order. Second, adequacy of human resource development, especially the clarification of duties and responsibilities, is higher in succession outside relatives than in the other two.

Through a choice experiment on tomatoes, this study examined the effects of information on consumer preference for GI products by comparing WTP on GI without information, and with information on the quality, and the natural environment. As a result, WTP of tomatoes with GI labels is higher even without information. In addition, with information on the quality of GI, WTP for GI is increased while information on the natural environment has no significant effect.

This study aims to examine the significance of psychological safety in environments where migrants engage in community development activities. Rural areas with declining and aging populations require migrants’ contributions to revitalize their communities. Therefore, it is necessary to create an environment that fosters proactive and independent activities among migrants. This study found that the environmental conditions were conducive to community development by migrants, particularly in terms of psychological safety. We also found that leaders’ psychological flexibility was important in ensuring psychological safety.

The objective of this study is to understand how agricultural development in both Japan and Ibaraki Prefecture have been done with the help of farm labor from abroad. Collaboration especially between famers cooperatives in Ibaraki as the accepting agent and labor overseas dispatch agencies look effective in terms of technical acquisition and contribution in production size. This has invited more farm families involved in hiring more foreign labor and lots of them want to stay longer by using another status of residence. Still, the technical training system has worked for many workers to be accepted, but that system originally has 3- to 5-year limits to stay. So, these days the new system of specified skilled worker enforced in 2019 has been more interesting to young people who have a shorter period of stay in Japan under their status of residence.