Research on consumers' food demand for improving agricultural producers' welfare in Japan

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H05035
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Agricultural science in management and economy
• Research Institution: Mie University
• Principal Investigator: Nakajima Toru 三重大学, 生物資源学研究科, 准教授 (60641553)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 消費者需要 / 食品マーケティング / 強い農業 / 農産物輸出 / 計量経済学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to analyze consumer demand for food products whose distribution volume is currently limited, but which are expected to have a large impact if the distribution volume increases in the future, due to changes in situations such as the trade environment. We elicited Japanese consumers' willingness to pay for foreign rices, organically grown rice, grapes and tomatoes with functional ingredients, and vegetables with certification systems. We also revealed overseas consumers' monetary evaluation for domestically produced foods, such as wagyu beef, green tea, and citrus fruits. Based on these analyses, we examined the impact of changes in the trade environment and consumer demand on Japan's food production, and derived implications for agricultural and food policies that should be promoted in order to realize "strong agriculture" in Japan.

Free Research Field

農業経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

どのような食品に対し、どのような人がどれだけの金銭評価をするかを明らかにすることは、農産物や食品の生産者の収益性を改善し、より効率的な関連技術開発にとって有益である。本研究は、そうした消費者需要について、今後取り組みを強化することで大きな社会的インパクトが見込まれる食品を対象に分析した。その際、消費者の態度や行動をより適切に把握するデータ収集方法を採用し、より信頼性の高い手法で分析を行った。本研究結果を利用し、国内外の消費者需要を適切に把握して有効な販売戦略を立てることで、生産者の収益性が増大する可能性があり、これは我が国の「強い農業」の実現に資するものである。