Determining Factors of Retaining Young Farmers in Agriculture: A Case study in Turkey and Japan

Abstract

Young farmers have an important role as the future of food security and sustainable agriculture depends on them. However, the young farmer problem is getting serious all over the world, whether the countries are developed or developing. The objective of this study is to determine the factors that affect the willingness of young farmers to continue agriculture in the future, especially based on social and cultural factors with economic factors. Data were collected from 200 young farmers' questionnaires in İzmir, Turkey, and Niigata, Japan. Using the logistic regression model, we found that social factors play an important role in retaining young farmers in agriculture such as the respectability and importance of farming, and the multifunctional role of farming, along with economic factors such as off-farm job, farmland size, and subsidies. If countries can clarify the importance of farming and food production to young generations, they will make essential contributions to the sustainability of food security and agricultural sustainability.