Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/49133

The purpose of this paper is to examine the conditions for the development of intermediary organizations　that support farming villages, based on a case study of the nonprofit corporation Groundwork Nishikagura.　As a means of analyzing this, we noted how the NPO’s incubator function and intermediary function　were being fulfilled. Groundwork Nishikagura’s incubator function was being fulfilled through its open organizational　system. In addition, its intermediary function was being fulfilled through its substantial incubator　function and in its formation of a network that extended to many other organizations. These results show that　the important point in the development of an intermediary support organization is the enhancement of its incubator　function ; this, however, is intrinsically defined by an organization’s formation of a network. Setting　aside network formation within a region, there is a limit to individual intermediaries’ ability to form networks　outside their own regions, and further support from the administration is expected.