Geographical Analysis of Behavioral Factors in the Formation of Commercial Crop Production Regions

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Formation processes of commercial crop production regions have been analyzed by geographers through combination of physical, socioeconomic, and political factors. Agricultural decision making, however, derives mainly from personal attributes of the farmers. This study analyzed personal as well as other geographic attributes to identify overall factors.In addition to historical analysis of commercial crop production, changes in individual farms and farmers were elucidated. The objects of study include tulip bulb production in the Kurobe alluvial fan in Toyama, lotus root production along the Lake Kasumigaura, vegetable production in Tsukuba, konnyaku production and dairy farming in the Akagi mountain region, water melons of Kyowa-machi, Ibaraki, and kaki production in the Chikugo River floodplain in Fukuoka. Ontario in Canada and Auckland urban area in New Zealand were also examined for comparison.The results clearly demonstrated that personal factors, such as willingness to commercializing agriculture and to continue agriculture, as well as regional conditions consisted major factors for the formation of commercial crop production regions. The willingness for agriculture depended upon the age of the farmers, existence of successors, regional organizations, personality of leaders, levels of techniques, and size and contents of agricultural management.