SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC VEGETABLE FOOD SYSTEM WITH CREATING SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE OUTER FRINGE OF TOKYO METROPOLITAN AREA
Toshio KIKUCHI
Abstract In terms of organic vegetable food system, functional areas are supported with mono- and multi-channel distributions of organic vegetable food system. Each functional area of farming and gathering organic vegetables is organized by mono-channel distribution, and its sustainability is supported with the social capital which is complement to the uncertainty of mono-channel distribution.
On the other hand, functional areas of retailers and consumers are organized by multi-channel distribution of organic vegetables, and its sustainability is supported with the diversity of networks, regulations and trust as alternative social capital.
Key words: organic vegetable food system, social capital, areal functional organization, mono-channel distribution, multi-channel distribution
1. Introduction
In this paper, we made a point of the food system in terms of Japanese organic fresh vegetables, and discussed on its sustainable development with creating social capital in Tokyo metropolitan area.
The food system is a commodity chain from the production to the consumption, and has emphasized the relationships between them since the 1990s, when the globalization of food supply systems has increased. In Tokyo metropolitan area, the food system of organic fresh vegetables plays an important role in satisfying consumers, which need fresh vegetables insured safety through an alternative commodity chain. This food system is developed with certain networks of commodity chains, the establishment of regulations and trust on organic products and their distribution (Troughton 2002).
Because the social capital is consisted of networks, regulations and trust (Putnam 2000), its creating is not irrelevant to sustainable development of organic vegetable food system. Generally, high levels of social capital have a direct and positive impact on levels of economic development, and are a key driving force behind the sustainability of economic development (Woodhouse 2006). Therefore, we can explain sustainable development of organic vegetable food system through the social capital.
2. Materials and methods
In delineating food system of organic vegetables and its social capital, we apply the concept of areal functional organization presented by Philbrick (1957) in explanation of functional and hierarchical urban structure. According to this concept, we focused our attention on central establishments such as farms, gathering places, distributors and their headquarters, retailers and consumers. Each of these establishments has the functional ordered area in terms of gathering and shipping organic vegetables.
Low ordered functional areas are subsumed under their higher one, so that the whole of functional areas has hierarchical structure spatially. In this structure, lower ordered functional areas are certainly connected to a higher ordered functional area with networks, regulations and trust.
3. Organic vegetable production in farms
The farmland per farm in Tokyo metropolitan area has decreased with the urbanization, and farmers have produced many kinds of vegetables with multiple cropping systems. Because their vegetables are small in amount and irregular products, they are not suitable for the metropolitan market, which need large in amount and low price of uniformed products. In outer fringes of Tokyo metropolitan area, however, organic vegetable farming has been developed with putting diversity of vegetables to good account, and has been suitable for small in amount and irregular products. Among
Fig. 1 Agricultural land use in an organic farm, Tomisato-machi (2004).
(Data source: field survey)
organic vegetable farming regions, Tomisato-machi in Chiba prefecture, which situated in the eastern suburbs of Tokyo metropolitan area, is more typical one, where 15 organic vegetables producers (farms) are dispersedly located on the uplands. Acreage of their landholding is three to four hectares, and each farm holds some small parcels of farmland dispersedly. All parcel of farmland has been organized with organic vegetable and potato productions since the 1970s, and has been authorized by the organic JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standard) certification since the 1990s.
According to Fig. 1 showed land use in a sample farm, this farmer manages four hectares of his own farmland, and he divided off organic productions and other ones by the buffer zone. In farmland for organic production, the diversified and the small amount of vegetables, potato and beans are cultivated with reasonable crop rotation system. Crop rotation system such as vegetables-potato -vegetables and vegetables-beans-vegetables plays an important role in maintaining soil fertile condition and prevention against soil sickness without chemical fertilizer and pesticide. This farmer has cultivated organic radish, carrot and spinach with regulations of the organic JAS certification and contracts to markets. In terms of its farming, the lowest functional area is organized by connections and networks between a farm and its own farmland.
4. Distribution of organic vegetables
Farmers ship organic vegetables to some gathering places such as the agricultural cooperation and special contract distributors. For instance, 15 organic farms in Tomisato-machi ship all organic vegetable, potato and bean to the gathering place of special contract distributor. This distributor gathers organic products and make into their small packages for retailers, so that it acquires the organic JAS certification as the packing facility. Organic products packed in the gathering place are directly and indirectly shipped to retailers and consumers within Tokyo metropolitan area in accordance with instructions of the distributors’ headquarter. The gathering place is one of central establishments, and its functional area is organized with subsuming lower functional areas based on farms. Furthermore, higher functional areas of distributors are organized with subsuming gathering places’. These functional areas are supported by networks, regulations and trust of organic vegetable distribution.
Because consumer needs of the metropolitan market are essentially fresh and safe products without their attention of harvest seasons, the distributor strives to supply some kinds of organic vegetables as long as possible. Actually, supplies of organic vegetables from 15 producers in Tomisato-machi are not satisfied with metropolitan market needs because of small amounts and harvest season limitation. In order to comply with metropolitan market needs, the distributor gathers organic vegetables from contract producers throughout Japan. According to Table 1 showed the gathering amount of organic onion in the sample distributor, organic onion is gathered from the southwestern parts of Japan on spring, from the central parts on summer and from the northeastern parts on autumn. Because Japanese climate is characterized by regional differences, there are regional differences on harvest seasons of farm products. Taking advantage of these differences, the distributor supplies organic vegetables to the
metropolitan market for long-term. These supply system is characterized with the firm contract regulation between the distributor and producers (farms).
On the other hand, retailers dealing with organic vegetables are mainly distributed in residential areas of high- and middle-classes, where consumers demand good quality and safety for food rather than price. Such retailers tend to be concentrated in particular areas, in which there are great competition among them. Therefore, these tend to put many distributors in suppliers and offer consumers diversified organic products from them. The relationships between distributors and retailers are not support with the firm contract regulation, so that retailers can purchase organic vegetables from some distributors with taking product quality and price into consideration. Similarly, consumers can buy in organic products from some retailers with product quality and price, so that the relationship between consumers and retailers are supported with the food chain of multi-channel distribution. These multi-channel chains are not irrelevant to the social capital, because their functional areas are organized with diversifying networks of organic vegetable distributions, and satisfying consumer needs as alternative regulations and trust.
Table 1 The gathering amount of organic onion in the sample distributor by production area (2003-2004)
production areas 2003
April May June July August Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2004
Jan. Feb. March
Hokkaido Northeast 35 35 35 35 35 50 50
Hokkaido Northwest 25 25 25 25 35 50 50
Hokkaido East 20 20 20 20 20
Hokkaido Central 10 10 10 10 10
Hokkaido West 5 5 5 5
Hokkaido Southeast 5 5 5 5
Hokkaido Southwest 50
Gunma East 10
Gunma West 40 50
Osaka 10
Nara 10
Kagawa 10
Kumamoto 30 20
Saga 40 50 60 20
Nagasaki North 30 20
Nagasaki South 30 20
(%)
(Data source: interview survey)
5. Results and discussion
In Tokyo metropolitan area, the food system of organic vegetables is divided into two patterns;
mono- and multi-channel chains. Mono-channel chains of organic vegetables are identified in the relationships between producers (farmers) and gathering places, and between gathering places and
distributors (packing places for retailing). In terms of these functional areas, low ordered functional areas are formed by the social capital between farmers and gathering places, and are subsumed under higher ordered functional areas, which are formed by the social capital between gathering places and distributors’ headquarters. This social capital is consisted of networks, regulations and trust in limited space, and affects the organization of functional areas directly. Although low ordered functional areas are generally developed within limited and narrow space, ones of organic vegetables are developed with the nationwide enlargement. These organizations are one of characteristics on Japanese organic vegetable distribution, which insures the long-term of organic vegetables sale for consumers.
Another low ordered functional area is formed by multi-channel chains between consumers and retailers, and is subsumed under another higher ordered functional area, which is formed by multi-channel chains between retailers and distributors’ headquarters. These low ordered functional areas are developed beyond the limited and narrow spaces, because many retailers tend to be located adjacent to consumers’ residents, and because consumers tend to select some retailers near their residents. Another higher ordered functional area is developed within the more extensive space, because retailers utilize plural distributors for stable supply of organic vegetables. The functional area based on multi-channels is organized by alternative social capital, which is characterized with the diversity of networks, regulations and trust.
As mentioned above, areal functional organization on the food system of Japanese organic vegetables is characterized by hierarchical connections from low to high orders (Fig. 2). In these hierarchical structures, sustainable food system is supported with mono- and multi-channel chains of organic vegetables. In the connection in terms of farming and gathering organic vegetables, each functional area is organized by mono-channel chains, and its sustainability is supported with the social capital which is complement to the uncertainty of mono-channel chains. On the other hand, functional
Fig. 2 Areal functional organization on the food system of organic vegetables.
areas in terms of retailers and consumers are organized by multi-channel chains of organic vegetables, and its sustainability is supported with the diversity of networks, regulations and trust as alternative social capital. As a result, the social capital plays an important role in developing sustainability of organic vegetable food system, because it make up the deficit of networks, regulations and trust in production and distribution.
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