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Abandoned farmland is particularly problematic in developed countries where agriculture has a comparative disadvantage in terms of effective use of land resources invested over time. While many studies have estimated the causes of these problems, few have discussed in detail the impact of data characteristics and accuracy on the estimation results. In this study, issues related to the underlying data and the estimation of the determinants of farmland abandonment were examined. Most previous studies on farmland abandonment in Japan have used census data as the basis of their analyses. However, census data are recorded subjectively by farmers. To address this, surveys of abandoned farmland are being conducted by a third party, and the results are compiled into a geographic information system (GIS) database. Two types of datasets (subjective census data and objective GIS data) were examined for their estimation performance. Although the two sets of data are correlated, there are considerable differences between them. Subjective variables are compatible with subjective data, and objective variables are compatible with objective data (meaning that parameters are easily identified). Original data for analysis, such as policy variables, are compatible with objective data. In policy evaluation research, attention should be paid to objective data collection.
Shinichi Kitano. Estimation of Determinants of Farmland Abandonment and Its Data Problems. Land 2021, 10, 596 .
AMA StyleShinichi Kitano. Estimation of Determinants of Farmland Abandonment and Its Data Problems. Land. 2021; 10 (6):596.
Chicago/Turabian StyleShinichi Kitano. 2021. "Estimation of Determinants of Farmland Abandonment and Its Data Problems." Land 10, no. 6: 596.
As concerns about consumers’ social purchasing, especially in developed countries, increase, marketing strategies and policy geared to solving social problems, such as resource overuse must consider consumer behavior. By focusing on fish consumption and cause-related marketing that targets prosocial consumers, we considered how consumers respond to this strategy and accordingly segmented them. We used choice experiments to estimate consumers’ willingness to pay for products labeled based on their contribution to different “causes,” and its distribution. The results showed that consumers have considerably more marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for causes than for other common attributes. Consumers also have higher MWTP, on average, for local causes than for global ones. We confirmed that there is heterogeneity in the MWTP for causes among consumers based on three consumer segments: the majority who have MWTP for both local and global causes, some who have MWTP only for local causes, and a minority who are cause-resistant. Segmentation analysis, providing valuable insights for marketing managers and policymakers, suggested that experience is more important than knowledge in guiding consumers toward prosocial behavior.
Shinichi Kitano; Naotoshi Yamamoto. Prosocial fish consumption and implications for labeling policy. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics 2020, 90, 101657 .
AMA StyleShinichi Kitano, Naotoshi Yamamoto. Prosocial fish consumption and implications for labeling policy. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics. 2020; 90 ():101657.
Chicago/Turabian StyleShinichi Kitano; Naotoshi Yamamoto. 2020. "Prosocial fish consumption and implications for labeling policy." Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics 90, no. : 101657.
Fish supply worldwide has increased significantly in recent decades, driven by the growing demand for food in developing economies, especially Asia. Many developed countries, including Japan, have implemented health policies that promote fish consumption. Despite efforts to encourage consumers to purchase fish, Japan has not achieved satisfactory results due to competition from cheap livestock products. The purpose of this study is to understand how consumers compare fish to other protein sources and how different consumer attributes influence the purchase frequency of fish. We used factor analysis to create a perceptual map of consumers' evaluations concerning protein sources, and a Bayesian hierarchical model incorporating individual heterogeneity to model purchase frequency. Our results show that Japanese consumers place great importance on availability when evaluating protein sources, and that fish is considered less available than other livestock products. In addition, Japanese consumers still prefer wild fish to farmed fish in terms of quality. Individual consumer attributes, such as age, household structure, and eating habits, were found to influence the decision to purchase fish. Consumers’ first-hand fish-related experience is found to be an important determinant of fish consumption. However, the effect of their knowledge identified in the conventional model was not detected in the Bayesian model. These results suggest that experiences allowing consumers to feel closer to fish are more effective than exposure to excessive information campaigns. Using lessons from Japan, this research could aid policymakers and suppliers of fish products to fashion appropriate and effective strategies for encouraging greater fish consumption.
Shinichi Kitano; Naotoshi Yamamoto. The role of consumer knowledge, experience,and heterogeneity in fish consumption: Policy lessons from Japan. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 2020, 56, 102151 .
AMA StyleShinichi Kitano, Naotoshi Yamamoto. The role of consumer knowledge, experience,and heterogeneity in fish consumption: Policy lessons from Japan. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 2020; 56 ():102151.
Chicago/Turabian StyleShinichi Kitano; Naotoshi Yamamoto. 2020. "The role of consumer knowledge, experience,and heterogeneity in fish consumption: Policy lessons from Japan." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 56, no. : 102151.
In recent decades, there has been a global debate over who should manage common property resources (CPRs) related to agriculture. Because rational and efficient farmers only work farmland with good conditions or leave for other industries, in areas where production conditions are poor, local resources that were once collectively maintained are no longer managed. The Japanese government has positioned community farms (CFs) as an important player in local agriculture and has been striving to develop them. This study clarifies whether the formation and development of these CFs are functioning effectively for the conservation of local resources. Specifically, we use the propensity score matching method to measure the average treatment effect of CF formation and development on CPR conservation activities and the prevention of cultivation abandonment. In particular, this study tests the hypothesis that farmers are reluctant to develop CFs extensively because their effects on CPR conservation are uncertain. The results show that at the early stage, the formation of CFs has a significantly positive effect on the promotion of CPR conservation, but its wide-area development is counterproductive to CPR management, suggesting that resourceful support is needed according to local conditions.
Shinichi Kitano. Formation Factors and Effects on Common Property Resource Conservation of Community Farms. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5137 .
AMA StyleShinichi Kitano. Formation Factors and Effects on Common Property Resource Conservation of Community Farms. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5137.
Chicago/Turabian StyleShinichi Kitano. 2020. "Formation Factors and Effects on Common Property Resource Conservation of Community Farms." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5137.
The Japanese government introduced a direct payment scheme (DPS) for hilly and mountainous areas (HMAs) in 2000, with the aim of preventing further farmland abandonment in HMAs and compensating the farmers working in such disadvantaged regions for their costly production. Rural community members decide whether to participate in the DPS after taking account of its economic consequences. Using counterfactual-based empirical evaluation methods, we measure the extent to which a rural policy goal in Japan, namely the prevention of farmland abandonment, is achieved at the community level under the DPS framework. The pre-matching differences in the ratios of farmland abandonment, based on cross-sectional and longitudinal data, do not initially provide evidence to support the DPS's effectiveness or “additionality”. However, when confounding factors are considered, our estimation results lend strong support to the view that the DPS deters farmland abandonment. The most important driver of additionality is that the DPS targets communities with higher threat of farmland abandonment, which helps to prevent adverse participant selection from occurring. This can be supported by a rational inference that the DPS effectiveness would have been modest if farmlands on flat slopes were eligible for subsidization.
Junichi Ito; Hart N. Feuer; Shinichi Kitano; Haruka Asahi. Assessing the effectiveness of Japan's community-based direct payment scheme for hilly and mountainous areas. Ecological Economics 2019, 160, 62 -75.
AMA StyleJunichi Ito, Hart N. Feuer, Shinichi Kitano, Haruka Asahi. Assessing the effectiveness of Japan's community-based direct payment scheme for hilly and mountainous areas. Ecological Economics. 2019; 160 ():62-75.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJunichi Ito; Hart N. Feuer; Shinichi Kitano; Haruka Asahi. 2019. "Assessing the effectiveness of Japan's community-based direct payment scheme for hilly and mountainous areas." Ecological Economics 160, no. : 62-75.
Junichi Ito; Hart N. Feuer; Shinichi Kitano; Midori Komiyama. A Policy Evaluation of the Direct Payment Scheme for Collective Stewardship of Common Property Resources in Japan. Ecological Economics 2018, 152, 141 -151.
AMA StyleJunichi Ito, Hart N. Feuer, Shinichi Kitano, Midori Komiyama. A Policy Evaluation of the Direct Payment Scheme for Collective Stewardship of Common Property Resources in Japan. Ecological Economics. 2018; 152 ():141-151.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJunichi Ito; Hart N. Feuer; Shinichi Kitano; Midori Komiyama. 2018. "A Policy Evaluation of the Direct Payment Scheme for Collective Stewardship of Common Property Resources in Japan." Ecological Economics 152, no. : 141-151.
Shinichi Kitano; Naotoshi Yamamoto. Empirical Study of Large-Companies’Entry into the Domestic Tuna Farming Industry: Criteria and Evaluations of Production Sites. Journal of Rural Problems 2013, 49, 329 -335.
AMA StyleShinichi Kitano, Naotoshi Yamamoto. Empirical Study of Large-Companies’Entry into the Domestic Tuna Farming Industry: Criteria and Evaluations of Production Sites. Journal of Rural Problems. 2013; 49 (2):329-335.
Chicago/Turabian StyleShinichi Kitano; Naotoshi Yamamoto. 2013. "Empirical Study of Large-Companies’Entry into the Domestic Tuna Farming Industry: Criteria and Evaluations of Production Sites." Journal of Rural Problems 49, no. 2: 329-335.
Mitsuyuki Tomiyoshi; Shinichi Kitano. Characteristics of the Activities of Non-profit Organizations (NPOs) in Rural Areas and the Factors Related to Their Sustainability: Case Studies of NPOs in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Journal of Rural Problems 2012, 48, 71 -77.
AMA StyleMitsuyuki Tomiyoshi, Shinichi Kitano. Characteristics of the Activities of Non-profit Organizations (NPOs) in Rural Areas and the Factors Related to Their Sustainability: Case Studies of NPOs in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Journal of Rural Problems. 2012; 48 (1):71-77.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMitsuyuki Tomiyoshi; Shinichi Kitano. 2012. "Characteristics of the Activities of Non-profit Organizations (NPOs) in Rural Areas and the Factors Related to Their Sustainability: Case Studies of NPOs in Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture." Journal of Rural Problems 48, no. 1: 71-77.