IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i2p866-d481667.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Overcoming the Barriers to Entry of Newcomer Sustainable Farmers: Insights from the Emergence of Organic Clusters in Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Simona Zollet

    (Graduate School for International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, 1-5-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima 739-8529, Japan)

  • Keshav Lall Maharjan

    (Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-1-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima City, Hiroshima 739-8524, Japan)

Abstract

The growing concern for sustainability in agri-food systems and the parallel decrease in the number of people engaged in agriculture, especially in the Global North, is starting to draw attention to new entrant farmers from non-farming backgrounds (“newcomer” farmers). Newcomers, however, especially if interested in sustainable agriculture, face considerable barriers to entry, and their support needs are often not adequately met by conventional agricultural institutions and support structures. Several studies have highlighted the importance of formal and informal farmer-to-farmer networks and communities of practice for newcomers to receive support, but such networks are usually geographically dispersed. Dynamics of spatial clustering of sustainable farmers, on the other hand, have so far received less attention, particularly in relation to their role in supporting the establishment of newcomers. This study examines the barriers to entry faced by newcomer organic farmers in Japan and the relevance of geographically proximate “clusters” of organic farmers to address such barriers. The results highlight the environmental and social factors that can facilitate the formation of organic clusters in the first place, and how spatial proximity facilitates different forms of cooperation among newcomers. The paper concludes by discussing the potential role of clusters in scaling sustainable agri-food practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Simona Zollet & Keshav Lall Maharjan, 2021. "Overcoming the Barriers to Entry of Newcomer Sustainable Farmers: Insights from the Emergence of Organic Clusters in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-24, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:866-:d:481667
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/2/866/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/2/866/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dolinska, Aleksandra & d'Aquino, Patrick, 2016. "Farmers as agents in innovation systems. Empowering farmers for innovation through communities of practice," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 122-130.
    2. Juliana Lutz & Barbara Smetschka & Nelson Grima, 2017. "Farmer Cooperation as a Means for Creating Local Food Systems—Potentials and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-16, June.
    3. Mary Beckie & Emily Kennedy & Hannah Wittman, 2012. "Scaling up alternative food networks: farmers’ markets and the role of clustering in western Canada," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 29(3), pages 333-345, September.
    4. Alexander Wezel & Julia Goette & Elisabeth Lagneaux & Gloria Passuello & Erica Reisman & Christophe Rodier & Grégoire Turpin, 2018. "Agroecology in Europe: Research, Education, Collective Action Networks, and Alternative Food Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Minh Ngo & Michael Brklacich, 2014. "New farmers’ efforts to create a sense of place in rural communities: insights from southern Ontario, Canada," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(1), pages 53-67, March.
    6. Carolan, Michael, 2018. "Lands changing hands: Experiences of succession and farm (knowledge) acquisition among first-generation, multigenerational, and aspiring farmers," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 179-189.
    7. Aya Kimura & Mima Nishiyama, 2008. "The chisan-chisho movement: Japanese local food movement and its challenges," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 25(1), pages 49-64, January.
    8. Giaime Berti & Catherine Mulligan, 2016. "Competitiveness of Small Farms and Innovative Food Supply Chains: The Role of Food Hubs in Creating Sustainable Regional and Local Food Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-31, July.
    9. Lee-Ann Sutherland & Carla Barlagne & Andrew P. Barnes, 2019. "Beyond ‘Hobby Farming’: towards a typology of non-commercial farming," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(3), pages 475-493, September.
    10. Guandong Su & Hidenori Okahashi & Lin Chen, 2018. "Spatial Pattern of Farmland Abandonment in Japan: Identification and Determinants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-22, October.
    11. Paola De Bernardi & Alberto Bertello & Francesco Venuti, 2019. "Online and On-Site Interactions within Alternative Food Networks: Sustainability Impact of Knowledge-Sharing Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-14, March.
    12. Lee-Ann Sutherland, 2013. "Can organic farmers be ‘good farmers’? Adding the ‘taste of necessity’ to the conventionalization debate," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(3), pages 429-441, September.
    13. Giaime Berti, 2020. "Sustainable Agri-Food Economies: Re-Territorialising Farming Practices, Markets, Supply Chains, and Policies," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-9, March.
    14. Nelson, Rebecca, 2020. "Viewpoint: International agriculture’s needed shift from energy intensification to agroecological intensification," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    15. Takumi Sakuyama, 2006. "Direct Payments for Environmental Services from Mountain Agriculture in Japan: Evaluating its Effectiveness and Drawing Lessons for Developing Countries," The Electronic Journal of Agricultural and Development Economics, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 3(1), pages 27-57.
    16. DeLonge, Marcia S. & Miles, Albie & Carlisle, Liz, 2016. "Investing in the transition to sustainable agriculture," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(P1), pages 266-273.
    17. Kate Mailfert, 2007. "New Farmers And Networks: How Beginning Farmers Build Social Connections In France," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 98(1), pages 21-31, February.
    18. Louise Meijering & Paulus Huigen & Bettina Van Hoven, 2007. "Intentional Communities In Rural Spaces," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 98(1), pages 42-52, February.
    19. Steven McGreevy, 2012. "Lost in translation: incomer organic farmers, local knowledge, and the revitalization of upland Japanese hamlets," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 29(3), pages 393-412, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Keshav Lall Maharjan & Clarisse Mendoza Gonzalvo & Wilson Jr. Florendo Aala, 2022. "Drivers of Environmental Conservation Agriculture in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-23, August.
    2. Para Jansuwan & Kerstin K. Zander, 2021. "Getting Young People to Farm: How Effective Is Thailand’s Young Smart Farmer Programme?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Hanna Górska-Warsewicz & Sylwia Żakowska-Biemans & Dagmara Stangierska & Monika Świątkowska & Agnieszka Bobola & Julita Szlachciuk & Maksymilian Czeczotko & Karol Krajewski & Ewa Świstak, 2021. "Factors Limiting the Development of the Organic Food Sector—Perspective of Processors, Distributors, and Retailers," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-22, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Giaime Berti, 2020. "Sustainable Agri-Food Economies: Re-Territorialising Farming Practices, Markets, Supply Chains, and Policies," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-9, March.
    2. Simon Berner & Hartmut Derler & René Rehorska & Stephan Pabst & Ulrike Seebacher, 2019. "Roadmapping to Enhance Local Food Supply: Case Study of a City-Region in Austria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-16, July.
    3. Camille Robert-Boeuf, 2023. "Promoting Rural Regeneration and Sustainable Farming near Cities Thanks to Facilitating Operators in France? The Case of the Versailles Plain’s Association Governance Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Lucie Newsome, 2021. "Disrupted gender roles in Australian agriculture: first generation female farmers’ construction of farming identity," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 803-814, September.
    5. Aparna Katre & Teresa Bertossi & Abigail Clarke-Sather & Mary Parsatoon, 2022. "Agroecological Transition: A Territorial Examination of the Simultaneity of Limited Farmer Livelihoods and Food Insecurity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-26, March.
    6. Maria, Kernecker & Maria, Busse & Andrea, Knierim, 2021. "Exploring actors, their constellations, and roles in digital agricultural innovations," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    7. Florence Becot & Casper Bendixsen & Kathrine Barnes & Josie Rudolphi, 2021. "Broadening Our Understanding of Farm Children’s Risk Exposure by Considering Their Parents’ Farming Background," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-18, May.
    8. Marney E. Isaac & S. Ryan Isakson & Bryan Dale & Charles Z. Levkoe & Sarah K. Hargreaves & V. Ernesto Méndez & Hannah Wittman & Colleen Hammelman & Jennifer C. Langill & Adam R. Martin & Erin Nelson &, 2018. "Agroecology in Canada: Towards an Integration of Agroecological Practice, Movement, and Science," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, September.
    9. Anthony M. Fuller & Siyuan Xu & Lee-Ann Sutherland & Fabiano Escher, 2021. "Land to the Tiller: The Sustainability of Family Farms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-24, October.
    10. Kernecker, Maria & Seufert, Verena & Chapman, Mollie, 2021. "Farmer-centered ecological intensification: Using innovation characteristics to identify barriers and opportunities for a transition of agroecosystems towards sustainability," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    11. Adam Calo, 2018. "How knowledge deficit interventions fail to resolve beginning farmer challenges," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(2), pages 367-381, June.
    12. Virginie Baritaux & Carole Chazoule, 2018. "Légitimité et positionnement des marchés de gros dans les dynamiques de relocalisation de l’alimentation : les cas du marché de Lyon Corbas et du MIN de Grenoble," Post-Print hal-03122984, HAL.
    13. Vladimir Todorovic & Marinko Maslaric & Sanja Bojic & Maja Jokic & Dejan Mircetic & Svetlana Nikolicic, 2018. "Solutions for More Sustainable Distribution in the Short Food Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-27, September.
    14. Zsófia Benedek & Imre Fertő & Viktória Szente, 2020. "The Multiplier Effects of Food Relocalization: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, April.
    15. Efryta Wulan Anggraeni & Yuanita Handayati & Santi Novani, 2022. "Improving Local Food Systems through the Coordination of Agriculture Supply Chain Actors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    16. Valliant, Julia C.D. & Ruhf, Kathryn Z. & Gibson, Kevin D. & Brooks, J.R. & Farmer, James R., 2019. "Fostering farm transfers from farm owners to unrelated, new farmers: A qualitative assessment of farm link services," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 438-447.
    17. Fernianda Rahayu Hermiatin & Yuanita Handayati & Tomy Perdana & Dadan Wardhana, 2022. "Creating Food Value Chain Transformations through Regional Food Hubs: A Review Article," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-24, July.
    18. Korhonen Kirsi & Kotavaara Ossi & Rusanen Jarmo & Muilu Toivo, 2017. "Accessibility of Local Food Production to Regional Markets – Case of Berry Production in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland," European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 9(4), pages 709-728, December.
    19. Susan (Sixue) Jia, 2021. "Local Food Campaign in a Globalization Context: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-11, July.
    20. Agata Malak-Rawlikowska & Edward Majewski & Adam Wąs & Svein Ole Borgen & Peter Csillag & Michele Donati & Richard Freeman & Viet Hoàng & Jean-Loup Lecoeur & Maria Cecilia Mancini & An Nguyen & Monia , 2019. "Measuring the Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability of Short Food Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-23, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:2:p:866-:d:481667. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.