Impact of Broad-Based Regional Management on Community Business Forms in Hilly and Mountainous Areas
This study examines the forms of community businesses resulting from the regional management aimed at the conservation of farmlands and rural societies in hilly and mountainous areas. It also examines the association among family farms, community-based fa
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Impact of Broad-Based Regional Management on Community Business Forms in Hilly and Mountainous Areas Nobuyoshi Yasunaga
Abstract This study examines the forms of community businesses resulting from the regional management aimed at the conservation of farmlands and rural societies in hilly and mountainous areas. It also examines the association among family farms, community-based farming, community businesses, and agricultural policy. Using a case study of hilly and mountainous areas, we obtained the following findings. First, a rural community business, covering multiple rural communities, was developed with the unique support of municipality staff. Second, direct payment subsidies from the central government play an important role in establishing the new business unit and promoting specialized local products. Third, establishing a broad-based relationship between the new organization and the existing rural community organizations is essential for sustaining the new organization. Fourth, despite the above three findings, securing external human resources for regional management remains a challenge. These results indicate that the management system depends on the official support of regional farming organizations. Keywords Community business · Establishing process · Business forms · Regional management · Interaction form · Agribusinesses
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Introduction
Due to aging and depopulation, residents in hilly and mountainous areas find it difficult to maintain their living environment, for instance, conserving farmlands and purchasing daily necessities. Further, due to the lack of human resources, it is difficult for farmers to sell their products in both the local community and urban areas; this is worsened by their location in relation to high-consumption areas. N. Yasunaga (*) Institute of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Academic Assembly, Shimane University, Matsue, Shimane, Japan e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020 N. Yasunaga, N. Inoue (eds.), Farm and Rural Community Management in Less Favored Areas, New Frontiers in Regional Science: Asian Perspectives 44, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7352-1_10
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N. Yasunaga
Therefore, residents have tried to look for ways to improve their living conditions by forming community-based businesses. In Japan, studies on community businesses in rural areas have become popular in recent years, such as Morishita et al. (2011), Yasunaga (2012), and Kobayashi (2017). Morishita et al. (2011) examined the factors that determine the establishment of a resident-led, community-based organization based on a case study of the KamiAkizu district in Tanabe city, Wakayama prefecture. The results show that the organizational structure for regional development was reorganized according to requirements and that non-profit organizations play a key role in establishing new organizations by expanding their network outside of the district. Morishita and Nakamura (2012) examined the contribution of non-profit organizations in the formation of farmer
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