Multi-level Governance of Agricultural Landscapes: Role of value perspective on farmland tenancy arrangements in Japan

Agricultural land abandonment has swelled over the past three decades in Japan, having alarming implications not only for the rural economy, but also for cultural heritage loss, food security and biodiversity change. In response, various incentive and management programs have been put in place, including new forms of tenancy arrangements. Whereas research on management programs has focused on the benefits from agricultural landscapes as a result of sound governance, understanding the value perspectives of stakeholders involved in governance processes is critical to improving the programs. This research investigates how the value perspectives held by farmers and other stakeholders at different governance levels in Japan influence farmland tenancy arrangements. The project has a two-fold goal. First, it will examine the values that farmers attach to farmland and their impact on farmland tenancy arrangements. Second, it will examine the extent to which a cross-level coordination of tenancy arrangements helps farmers' values to align with the views and perspectives held by other stakeholders involved in agricultural landscape management. To attain these goals, I will conduct an in-depth analysis of value perspectives and farmland tenancy arrangements, using semi-structured interviews of farmers and other stakeholders in Ishikawa Prefecture.