Sustainable Agricultural Practices and Market for Organic Products: An Empirical Analysis in Shiga Prefecture, Japan

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In the first year of the project, I investigated the current promotion policies for sustainable agriculture and the benefits of sustainable agricultural practices in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The data were obtained from a questionnaire survey with 112 rice farmers and in-depth interviews with six key informants in three cities from July to November 2023. On the other hand, soil samples were also collected from eight paddy fields in these surveyed areas. The result of this research reported that sustainable rice farming in Shiga Prefecture brings the environmental benefits, especially soil fertility. On the other hand, it faces challenges concerning for to lower productivity of 37.4 kg per 10a compared to conventional farming and regional farmers’ motivation for sustainable agriculture in the long term. Facing several challenges of low benefits of sustainable rice farming, a decline in consumption, and low selling prices, rice farmers now are gradually reducing their cultivated land for rice and shifting to other crops like wheat or soybeans which can bring higher benefits. Some others are partially implementing sustainable rice farming on their farmland in combination with conventional rice farming (i.e., for staple food, processing rice, feeding rice). The direct payment schemes for sustainable agriculture become insufficient for supporting eco-farmers. Recently, that policy has been updated to promote the conversion of rice to other rice varieties and other strategic crops. Simultaneously, it generates big challenges for rice farmers and their decision-making.