Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/81634

The “in-shop” is a form of farmerʼs markets, and it has been spreading mainly among consumer cooperative and agricultural cooperativesʼ stores (by federation “Hokuren”) in Hokkaido since around 2000. Unlike the main island of Japan where “in-shops” are located as an extension of farmerʼs markets, the founding of a new supply organization was required due to the characteristics of agriculture of Hokkaido. Therefore, this paper shows the logic of the development of the supply organization and the role of agricultural cooperatives in Hokkaido. In this case, the development stage is separated into four categories: the time of quantitative expansion, the time of small quantity and multi-item supply, the time when the supply period was extended by the development to processing due to the diversification of the members and the introduction of wild plants, and the time to expand sales channels into other stores by utilizing that system. In particular, Hokurenʼs flexible response to farmersʼ trial and error of farmers during the time of small quantity and multi-item supply has contributed to their development. The “in-shop” can be highly evaluated as a complementary function to new businesses that are difficult for unit agricultural cooperatives.