Towards Evidence Based Policy Making in GIAHS: Convention Theory and Effects of GIAHS Registration on the Wholesale and Retail Trade of Traditional and Local Vegetables

Yoshitaka Miyake, Yuta Uchiyama, Yoshinori Fujihira and Ryo Kohsaka
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Yoshitaka Miyake: Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
Yuta Uchiyama: Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
Yoshinori Fujihira: Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido 050-8585, Japan
Ryo Kohsaka: Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: This study examines how the registration of certain agricultural regions affects the sales of vegetables classified as traditional. We focused on the sales trends of traditional vegetables from the Noto region, one of the first designated sites of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). We compared the sales of recognized traditional vegetables to those of similar traditional vegetables from nearby areas and vegetables labeled with the same place names as the traditional vegetables but without elements of traditionality in branding. The study analyzed the sale and relevant trends of four categories of vegetable: Kaga vegetables, vegetables labeled “Kaga”, Noto vegetables, and vegetables labeled “Noto”. We further analyzed the trends by applying Convention Theory to understand the underpinning “orders of worth” in the purchase and sale of the items. Both Noto vegetables and place-labeled vegetables increased in overall sales since GIAHS registration in 2011. The recent increases in sales volume and number of items, however, were largely due to the production of lettuce, a crop from a vegetable factory. By applying Convention Theory, we identified that in the agriculture of the region, industrial farming impacted even the GIAHS registered site. Thus, careful collection and analysis of evidence is necessary to evaluate the effects of GIAHS registration and draft an action plan for further evidence-based policy making.

Keywords: GIAHS; traditional vegetables; convention theory; evidence-based policy making; Noto; Japan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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