Farmers' investment behavior in "quality": A case of shrimp aquaculture industry

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19KK0331
• Research Category: Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (A))
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07040:Economic policy-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Aya 東京大学, 大学院新領域創成科学研究科, 教授 (20537138)
• Project Period (FY): 2020 – 2023
• Keywords: エビ養殖 / 可視化 / 水質 / 外部性 / ベトナム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined the growing global aquaculture industry and how we can improve the frequent disease outbreaks that have long been a challenge in the industry and the behavior of farmers to use antibiotics to prevent and cope with these outbreaks. To examine which farmers would be willing to invest in the shrimp quality by visualizing water quality, we conducted an experiment using a water quality measurement device which is linked to apps that stores water chemistry parameters. Further, we quantitatively visualized agricultural externalities transmitted to the aquaculture ponds via waterways and peer effects whereby the behavior of neighboring farmers also affected their own behavior, showing that their own behavior and characteristics as well as the disease outbreaks and adoption of good practices by neighboring farmers affected the results in their own aquaculture ponds.

Free Research Field

開発経済学、農業経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、どのような農家が質への投資を行うのかを８か月間にわたる頻繁な水質データを入手して考察する点に特徴がある。養殖農家、現地の関連団体、水質計とアプリを開発したインドネシアの企業他との連携無しでは実施できず、またその結果は直接的に同産業に政策含意をもたらす。さらに、エビ養殖を対象に養殖池レベルのデータを用いて、農業外部性が農家のプラクティスや病気発生に与えるメカニズムを実証した既往研究はなく、学術的貢献となる。