A research trend report on existing research reviews and current status analysis regarding women's participation in agricultural committees and agricultural cooperatives, written by Senior Researcher Mayumi Sato of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Division, Policy Research Institute for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
In recent years, women's participation in agricultural committees and agricultural cooperatives has progressed, with specific numerical targets set in the new "Basic Plan for Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas." Women's participation in these organizations is expected to contribute to reflecting diverse opinions and revitalizing regional agriculture, while there are many challenges such as aging of women's organizations that have produced women leaders and regional differences in women's participation status, requiring consideration of future promotion measures.
Regarding the history of promoting gender equality, since the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries formulated the "Long-term Vision for Rural Women" in 1924, women's participation in agricultural committees and agricultural cooperative board members has been legally promoted in conjunction with the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas (1999) and the Basic Law for a Gender Equal Society (same year). The new Basic Plan of April 2025 sets specific numerical targets for the proportion of women among agricultural committee members, agricultural cooperative board members, and land improvement district board members.
The revised Agricultural Committee Law enacted in 2016 specifies the obligation of mayors to consider age and gender balance when appointing committee members, promoting the selection of multiple women agricultural committee members and the establishment of dedicated committees. The JA Group has promoted women's regular membership and operational participation since 1988, with the "JA Women's Organization Platform and Five Principles" of 1995 specifying women's participation in agricultural cooperative management and gender equality.
Regarding the necessity of women's participation, it is essential for reflecting the opinions of diverse regional members and realizing a regional society where everyone can live comfortably, overlapping with the argument by the Comprehensive Food Industry and Women's Activity Promotion Office, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2022) that women's participation in these public agricultural organizations should be considered problematic. Actually, women farmers are cited for supporting women's issue resolution and supporting policy formation and decision-making related to needs more than relationships with administration and regions.
Regarding current participation status, gradual improvement is observed with women committee members in agricultural committees nationwide at 14.8% in 2024 (1.2 percentage point increase from the previous year) and agricultural cooperative board members at 8.3% (0.7 percentage point increase from the previous year), but the situation remains far from the government target of 30%. Particularly in agricultural cooperatives, items related to promoting participation of family farming agreement signatories and young and women farmers through selection of regional management committee members are pointed out.
The article concludes that this is an important research trend organization showing that while the importance of women's participation in agriculture has been clearly defined in policy terms, continuous efforts are needed for actual participation rate improvement.