Private Formation of Trust by Non-certified Organic Farms: Findings in Five Case Studies in Japan

Summary

In this study, operations of five organic farms were compared so as to explicate the context behind the successful trust-building that does not depend on third-party certification or the rules set forth in alternative marketing schemes (AMSs). Through the case studies, we found that non-certified organic farmers who do not depend their trust-building on alternative marketing scheme have high communication skills that enable them to provide detailed information on the farms and their produce to consumers via newsletters, homepages, and Social Networking Services. They also maintain close relationship with consumers by directly delivering the produce by themselves, and by sometimes organizing on-farm events so that consumers can visit the farm. Most consumers stay on the long-term subscription of the vegetable boxes though by contract they are not obligated to do so, and therefore the transactions are usually repeated many times as in teikei and CSAs. In addition, we observed that farmers who build trust as such make frequent appearance in social activities, such as seminars and public events, in which they often have opportunities to talk about their faith and passion for local organic farming. Such public appearances of organic farmers can be considered to be another contributing factor to a successful private formation of trust to their commitment.