scholarly journals The Effect of Direct Payment on the Prevention of Farmland Abandonment: The Case of the Hokkaido Prefecture in Japan

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mika Wakamatsu Shin ◽  
Brian H. S. Kim

Farmland exhibits multifunctionality by preventing flooding and soil erosion and providing social and cultural community comfort. All these functions are essential for sustainable rural development. However, the multifunctionality of farmland is decreasing worldwide because of an aging society, depopulation and income disparity between flat lands and hilly mountainous lands. Regarding the consequences of abandonment, abandonment is intimately linked with the wider issue of the stagnation of the rural economy. The direct payment policy for hilly mountainous land is aimed at restraining farmland abandonment through community-based activities. The panel data difference in differences (DID) estimator was employed to observe the effect of direct payments on the rate of restraining farmland abandonment at the municipality level of the Hokkaido prefecture in Japan for the period of 2005–2015. We estimated that the direct payment implementation provided a 2% effectiveness for restraining the increase in the rate of abandonment as the result of DID estimation. On the other hand, the age group of 65 years or older was negatively correlated with farmland abandonment, which contradicts the general understanding. Older farmers have relatively more interest in contributing to and preserving their community. Therefore, the direct payment can encourage them to participate more in their community preservation. From these results, we concluded that it is necessary to promote farmland consolidation to compensate for the lack of inheritors. In addition, providing direct payment for a well-organized community or active stakeholders can be an effective way of utilizing governmental budgets and sustaining rural development.

Author(s):  
Badal Chandra Das ◽  
Sebak Kumar Jana

Rural development implies both the economic betterment of the people living in rural areas as well as bringing out holistic development. Accordingly, government has made paradigm shift from individual-centric rural development support to creation of gainful self-employment as well as wage employment among rural masses. Entrepreneurship, in this direction, has become an important consideration. Economic growth of a region largely depends on the involvement of poor and marginal sections into the process of entrepreneurship development. Globally, a large number of unemployed youth and women are becoming self-employed through entrepreneurship and creating employment opportunities for others. Researchers have worked on women's empowerment, economic development, and their role on micro-credit movement. The work on role of women in sustainable development is very limited. This chapter has tried to analyse issues related to women entrepreneurships in light of sustainable rural development in India to meet the research gap in the current context of Indian rural economy.


2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaklina Stojanovic ◽  
Emilija Manic

The concept of sustainable rural development comprises three aspects - social, economical and ecological. They are supposed to act in synergy, but, at the same time, these aspects are supposed to be competitive. Agriculture, as a traditional activity of rural economy, contributes to the sustainable development of rural areas only if there is an adequate resources management. If not, there will be a significant degradation of rural environment. These are the reasons why sustainable agriculture development is emphasized since it maximizes productivity and minimizes negative effects on nature and human resources. In this context, one should observe the connection between agriculture and tourism existing in the EU, where the application of sustainable agricultural development concept produces external effects connected to biodiversity protection and environment in rural areas. These become a good foundation for the development of rural and ecotourism. EU enlargement induced diversification of support programmes that EU gives to the candidate countries, as well as to those who are just entering the process of stabilization and association to the EU. Through cross-border cooperation projects, many goals can be accomplished, among which aspiration for promotion of sustainable economical and social development in border regions is one of the leading. Knowing that these regions are usually passive and underdeveloped, the projects of cross-border cooperation could induce development of those activities in local economy, which could bring better living conditions and economic prosperity on the one hand, and protection of environment on the other. Examples of this kind of projects in Serbia can usually be found in rural and ecotourism development.


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