Betting on the Farm (Cornell University Press, 2022) explains variations in strategic change within Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (JA), the nationwide network of farm co-ops that has dominated the Japanese agricultural landscape since the mid-20^th century.  JA’s tradition-bound organizations are under increasing economic and demographic pressure to expand farmer incomes by adapting co-op strategies to rapidly changing market incentives, but some local co-ops are adapting more quickly and effectively than others.  Drawing on insights from institutionalism theory, our book ultimately attributes these variations to three sets of local variables: the co-op’s capacity to produce foods that can earn good prices in today’s markets; the quality of co-op leadership; and the appropriate organization of farmer-members behind new co-op strategies.  This book supports these claims with a mix of quantitative and especially qualitative methodologies, including in-depth case studies of individual co-ops and farmers....

https://eap.princeton.edu/events/betting-farm