Focal Issues Concerning Farmland Liquidity and Utilization Through Farmland Intermediary Management Institutions in the Sanin Region

This study examined the regional differences and focal issues regarding farmland liquidity and utilization through farmland intermediary management institutions (FIMIs) considering farmland accumulation at the prefectural and municipal levels. The following findings were obtained using the interview data from the FIMIs and prefecture data from the Sanin region. First, facility-based horticulture farmers prefer renting higher-quality farmland. Moreover, their farm management areas do not always necessitate required areal clustering within their residential region. Second, FIMIs and local government initiatives generate regional differences in farmland accumulation. Third, coordination costs can become exceedingly high as the conditions of each farmland plot differ in hilly and mountainous areas. These findings imply that conducting social activities based on farmer diversity and rural communities is necessary.