Extension Officers as Social Coordinators: Comparisons Between Agricultural and Fishing Communities in Japan

Abstract

Literature suggests that social capital, which often promotes human welfare, requires sensitive handling to build and maintain. The current study investigated the role of extension officers (fukyu-shidoin) in Japanese agricultural and fishing communities, who help farmers/fishers in both technical and social matters. Past research found that in Japanese agricultural communities, extension officers' activities, social skills, and relationships with their colleagues had effects on social capital and problem solving in communities. We conducted a nation-wide survey of fishery extension officers and found that the findings in agricultural communities were largely replicated in fishing communities with only one difference: Officers' acitivities to provide a future vision had a positive effect for problem solving in agricultural communities. For fisheries, however, such activities were more effective when the officer had worked for the community for a longer period of time. This could be explained by the higher level of uncertainty in fishing than farming.

What Constitutes Traditional and Modern Eating? The Case of Japan

“…For instance, traditional eating behavior in Japan has been characterized by high consumption of cereals (rice), soybean products, vegetables, fish and salt, as well as by a low to moderate energy content of meals. In contrast, modern eating behavior has been characterized by high consumption of fat, (refined) sugar, meat, dairy products, and eggs [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Besides these meal ingredients, food processing and dietary variety have also been put forth as aspects of traditional and modern Japanese eating behavior.…”

Determinants and impacts of public agricultural research: product-level evidence from agricultural Kohsetsushi in Japan

“…Agbamu (2000) andSugino (2003) describe organizational structures of agricultural Kohsetsushi, but these studies are not analytical Takemura et al (2014). provide evidence on the impact of regional embeddedness of extension workers on users' problem solving in the fishing village, but the research scope does not encompass other agricultural fields.5 The first agricultural Kohsetsushi were established in 1871 in Hokkaido and Tokyo, under the guidance of Horace Capron, a foreign advisor of the Meiji Government.…”