open access

https://hdl.handle.net/2115/60445

How an agricultural cooperative has promoted and coordinated an agricultural strategy by its multiple business schemes in a paddy field area in Hokkaido : A case study of JA Iwamizawa

日本語

2015-11-30

北海道大学大学院農学研究院

The Nokei Ronso : The Review of Agricultural Economics Hokkaido University

70

85-94

The purpose of this paper is to clarify agricultural cooperatives role in restructuring paddy agriculture since the late 1990s in Hokkaido. In particular, attention is paid to a farming advisory service. It is intended to clarify the charactaristics and problems of the managementof the cooperatives through a case study of JA Iwanizawa. During the paddy agriculture-restructuring period, the management balance of the cooperative worsened. Because the farming advisory service is a not-profit business, the allocation of human resources to the advisory business has become an important issue. As a solution to the problem, the cooperative executed the following reforms. It increased the levy of the farming advisory business. Then, the technology dissemination project was shifted to a study group organization. For improving and strengthening the credit and mutual aid businesses that form the main revenue resource, the cooperative plans to establish a loan center and a unit for expanding associate member business. However, it is recognized that the expansion of non-agricultural loans and mutual aid business in order to compensate for the reduction of each business is difficult. Because the reduction in the number of members means a reduction in the cooperative's captal, it is important for the cooperative to construct equity capital. The cooperative is also planning to update its production facilities in order to expand capacity and improve efficiency. The cooperative has taken a system that maintains a branch office function since the merger in 1993. However, the reduction of business and administrative expenses is coming to the limit. Therefore, it is neseccary to condier a change in the organizational structure.

紀要論文

Version of Record

0385-5961

AN0020151X