Betting on the Farm: Institutional Change in Japanese Agriculture

Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA) are under pressure to expand farmer incomes by adapting coop strategies to changing market incentives. Factors such as resource endowments, product-specific market conditions, coop leadership, and the organization of farmer-members influence success. The book also explores the evolution of postwar agriculture, electoral sources of JA's influence, economic liberalization, demographic pressures, and diversification of farm households.

Format: Hardback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2022
Publisher: Cornell University Press

Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA), a nationwide network of farm cooperatives, faces mounting pressure to enhance farmer incomes by adapting cooperative strategies to evolving market incentives. While some cooperatives have achieved greater success in this endeavor, others have faced challenges. In their book, Betting on the Farm, Patricia L. Maclachlan and Kay Shimizu explore the factors contributing to these differences. They attribute these disparities to three sets of local variables: resource endowments and product-specific market conditions, coop leadership, and the organization of farmer-members behind new cooperative strategies.

To provide a comprehensive understanding, Betting on the Farm employs in-depth case studies and profiles of diverse types of farmers. It delves into the evolution of the formal and informal institutional foundations of postwar agriculture, examines the electoral sources of JA's influence, explores the interplay between economic liberalization and demographic pressures (such as an aging farm population and a shortage of farm successors), and investigates the diversification of Japan's traditional farm households and their implications for farmer ties with JA.

Through its detailed analysis, Betting on the Farm offers valuable insights into the complex dynamics shaping Japan's farm sector and the challenges faced by agricultural cooperatives in adapting to changing market incentives. It sheds light on the factors that contribute to success and failure in the agricultural industry and provides valuable lessons for policymakers and practitioners alike.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501762123