Formation Factors and Effects on Common Property Resource Conservation of Community Farms

Shinichi Kitano

doi:10.3390/su12125137

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been a global debate over who should manage common property resources (CPRs) related to agriculture. Because rational and efficient farmers only work farmland with good conditions or leave for other industries, in areas where production conditions are poor, local resources that were once collectively maintained are no longer managed. The Japanese government has positioned community farms (CFs) as an important player in local agriculture and has been striving to develop them. This study clarifies whether the formation and development of these CFs are functioning effectively for the conservation of local resources. Specifically, we use the propensity score matching method to measure the average treatment effect of CF formation and development on CPR conservation activities and the prevention of cultivation abandonment. In particular, this study tests the hypothesis that farmers are reluctant to develop CFs extensively because their effects on CPR conservation are uncertain. The results show that at the early stage, the formation of CFs has a significantly positive effect on the promotion of CPR conservation, but its wide-area development is counterproductive to CPR management, suggesting that resourceful support is needed according to local conditions.

Highlights

Farmers take on various roles depending on the country and geographical conditions, including maintaining local economies and managing common property resources (CPRs) through community-based collaborative activities, as well as agricultural production [1,2]
We examined drivers and barriers that affect the formation and development of community farms (CFs)
Regarding the CF formation factors, robust results were derived that mostly support our hypotheses

Summary

Introduction

Farmers take on various roles depending on the country and geographical conditions, including maintaining local economies and managing common property resources (CPRs) through community-based collaborative activities, as well as agricultural production [1,2]. The management of local resources has long been implemented as a collective activity of local members; securing agricultural management entities that play a role in communities is indispensable to sustain local resource management [3] Such CPRs have been developed over a long period, and their benefits are dispersed both spatially and temporally, making them difficult to evaluate [4]. In Japan, the disadvantaged areas, called the hilly and mountainous areas, are generally defined by the slope of farmland, percentage of forest and mountain, and population density Since these areas account for about 40% of farmland and 35% of agricultural output value, conservation of the farmland is an important issue for food security in Japan [7]. The Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas issued by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) designates a few types of agricultural management entities as core players responsible for future agriculture, including community farms (CFs), as well as large-scale individual farmers and agricultural corporations [8]

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion