The meaning and role of "Rural Social Enterprise" in a context of New Public Commons in Japan

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24560747
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Town planning/Architectural planning
• Research Institution: Ehime University
• Principal Investigator: SATO Ryoko 愛媛大学, 地域創成研究センター, 准教授 (50554341)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NISHIYAMA Mima 千葉大学, 園芸学研究科, 准教授 (70323392)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 農村型社会的企業 / 地域資源 / 価値の発信 / 都市住民のインフォーマルなつながり

Outline of Final Research Achievements

At the beginning, we had tentative definition for “Rural Social Enterprise” (RSE). Our definition about RSE had four points. First, RSEs’ goods or services should be produced with rural and/or agricultural resources in specific area or community. Secondly the values of them are expressed on the goods or services that RSEs supply. Then consumers in the city who understand the values act to buy and their choice and their activities support RSEs’ business healthy and sustainable. Besides them, we found the fifth factor after our study. RSEs are organizing informal relationship with consumers in the city area. They are not only understanding the value of rural resources but also aware that preserving resources including landscapes and environments in rural and agricultural area is beneficial for themselves. So that RSEs get city people come to rural area and meet producers.

Free Research Field

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