Agricultural Cooperative Association - nougyoukyoudoukumiai

Japanese: 農業協同組合 - のうぎょうきょうどうくみあい

An agricultural cooperative is a cooperative business organization that farmers organize to protect their interests based on cooperative ideals and actions. Its functions vary from country to country and from organization to organization, but the main areas of business are credit for agriculture, mutual aid, sale and processing of agricultural products, purchase of agricultural production materials, shared use of agricultural facilities and machinery, and guidance on agricultural techniques and management. In some countries, they also purchase daily necessities. In Japan today, agricultural cooperatives are organized based on the Agricultural Cooperatives Law (Nokyo Law) enacted in 1947 (Showa 22). They are usually abbreviated to "Nokyo," and since 1991 (Heisei 3), they have adopted the nickname "JA" (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives), which is often used.

Today, agricultural cooperatives exist in rural areas around the world, and each country has enacted cooperative laws or agricultural cooperative laws to guarantee the system. However, the history and characteristics of agricultural cooperatives vary depending on the history of socio-economic modernization and agricultural structure of each country. One type in developed countries is the so-called specialized agricultural cooperatives established in Western countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, France, and the United States from the end of the 18th century onwards, which are related to the production, processing, and sale of milk, butter, cheese, wine, etc., and the sale of grains, vegetables, fruits, flowers, etc. These agricultural cooperatives are associations of farmers established in response to the progress of commercialization of agricultural and livestock products. The other type is a trend of cooperatives established in mid-western Germany in the middle of the 19th century by F. W. Raiffeisen (1818-1888), which mainly engages in credit business and conducts purchasing, sales, etc. This trend later spread to Austria, Italy, France, etc., and in the 20th century it became widespread in many countries on the European continent as the Raiffeisen-type rural credit associations. Today, in developed countries, agriculture is creating unique interests over the shrinkage of domestic agriculture and the existence of disparities in agricultural productivity, as trade liberalization of agricultural products progresses. This creates serious problems for agricultural cooperatives in countries where agricultural cooperatives are at a disadvantage, as their industrial base is agriculture. In addition, in Western countries, the reorganization of agricultural cooperatives within the region is an issue in the context of EU integration. In addition to agricultural cooperatives in these developed countries, some former colonies in Asia and Africa have had the experience of being established as part of the colonial policies of their overlords during the colonial period, but generally speaking, they were not rooted in productive farmers, and were merely localized entities targeting settlers and the like. As a result of independence after World War II, land reforms were carried out, and the establishment of agricultural cooperatives was promoted in each country as an important policy tool for economic development. However, in addition to the complexity of each rural society, farmers' awareness and actions regarding the organization of agricultural cooperatives are immature, and their development has not been smooth except in certain areas. In this global context, it can be said that Japanese agricultural cooperatives have unique characteristics from various perspectives, and the problems that result from them.

[Tetsuo Takeuchi]

History

Agricultural cooperatives in Japan began their institutional journey as industrial cooperatives based on the Industrial Cooperatives Law of 1900 (Meiji 33). After two expansion campaigns starting in 1933, industrial cooperatives spread almost nationwide, but then, following the transition to a wartime state system in 1943 (Showa 18), they were integrated into a controlled organization called the Agricultural Association along with other agricultural organizations under the Agricultural Organizations Law. With the end of World War II in 1945, GHQ (General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) issued the so-called Farmers Liberation Directive to the Japanese government at the end of that year, instructing the elimination of the semi-feudal farmland system. In that directive, GHQ called for the establishment of democratic agricultural cooperatives as a measure to protect the self-cultivating farmers created by the land reform. However, in the process of drafting the bill, there was a clash of opinions regarding the nature of agricultural cooperatives between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's vision of cooperating production to overcome the problem of small-scale farming, and GHQ's insistence on a Western-style liberal and individualistic nature, and eight rounds of negotiations were held over the draft. However, in the end, the Agricultural Cooperatives Law, which faithfully embodied the principles of cooperatives in line with the latter's wishes, was passed and promulgated in November 1947.

The number of agricultural cooperatives established reached 30,227 (15,863 capital contribution cooperatives and 14,364 non-capital contribution cooperatives) in February 1948, a few months after the law came into force, including cooperatives with multiple municipalities in one municipality, out of a total of 10,499 municipalities. The background to this was the experience of industrial and agricultural associations and the efforts of those involved in establishing them, as well as the fact that the policies related to increasing food production at the time were centered on agricultural cooperatives, making it inevitable for farmers to join. However, these agricultural cooperatives lacked the conditions for stable management development, due to their small organizational scale and the fact that their leaders had been expelled from public office. As a result, many of them fell into financial difficulties due to the aftermath of the deflationary policies aimed at financial reconstruction after the war, and it was not until the late 1950s that they were finally able to rebuild their management. However, immediately after that, under the influence of the high economic growth, the members' economies improved due to the increase in non-farming income, and the accompanying growth in both credit and mutual aid businesses, and management generally showed good progress. However, behind the scenes, the needs of members have become more diverse and sophisticated as a result of the heterogeneity of members, and the dysfunction of agricultural cooperative business in the face of the advancement of competing companies has led to a decline in the agricultural cooperatives' monopoly position in local communities. Furthermore, with the transition to a low-growth economy since the late 1970s and the subsequent progress of liberalization on a global scale, agricultural cooperatives have been placed in a critical situation in terms of pursuing their organizational objectives and their survival. Despite having 9 million full and associate members, a huge amount of business, and a nationwide organizational network, agricultural cooperatives are now being forced to undergo fundamental structural reform. During this time, agricultural cooperatives adopted the nickname JA in 1991 (Heisei 3), and this name is usually used.

By the end of 1948, agricultural cooperative federations had been established almost nationwide, with agricultural cooperative federations for credit, sales, purchasing, guidance, etc. at the prefectural level (later, sales and purchasing were merged to become the Economic Agricultural Cooperative Federation), and federations for sericulture, livestock, development, welfare, transport, horticulture, etc., established at the prefectural and county levels. In parallel with these establishments, national federations were established at the national level, including the National Sales Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Zenhanren), National Purchasing Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Zenkoren), National Guidance Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Zenshiren), National Welfare and Culture Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Zenatsuren), and National Transport Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Zenunren). However, the establishment of federations for mutual aid businesses was delayed, and it was not until 1951 that the National Mutual Aid Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Zenkyoren) was established. Of these, the leading agricultural cooperative federations were reorganized by the revision of the Agricultural Cooperatives Act in 1954 into the Prefectural Agricultural Cooperatives Central Union (Prefectural Central Union) and the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (Zenchu), with one in each prefecture and one nationwide, as organizations representing the system's agricultural cooperatives, with member agricultural cooperatives and federations as members. In 1972, Zenhanren and Zenkoren merged to form the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (Zennoh). Separate from these federations, there is the Norinchukin Bank, a national institution for credit business, which is a financial institution based on the Norinchukin Bank Act and whose organizational parent is not only agricultural cooperatives, but also fisheries cooperatives and forestry cooperatives.

In this way, the agricultural cooperatives, which organized all farmers at the city/town/village level, used this as a basis to form business-specific federations at the prefectural and national levels, and at each level these organized central associations whose members were agricultural cooperatives and federations. Based on this, a well-organized three-tiered system, rare even by international standards, has been formed until recent years.

[Tetsuo Takeuchi]

Organization

Article 1 of the Agricultural Cooperatives Law states that the purpose of the law is to "promote the development of agricultural cooperative organizations, thereby promoting agricultural productivity and improving the economic and social status of farmers, and thereby contributing to the development of the national economy," and that agricultural cooperatives, as cooperative organizations of farmers, have the primary objective of stabilizing and developing the farming conditions of their member farmers. In Japan, agricultural cooperatives that comply with this law are divided into two types: so-called general agricultural cooperatives that conduct both credit business and other businesses, and specialized agricultural cooperatives that do not conduct credit business and specialize in the handling of specific agricultural and livestock products or businesses. In developed Western countries, the activities of the latter are prominent, but in Japan, the former, as cooperative organizations that support the economies of small farmers in a variety of ways, are widespread nationwide and form the core of the system of agricultural cooperatives. Therefore, the following description is directed at general agricultural cooperatives, especially unit cooperatives.

Qualifications for agricultural cooperative membership are set out as "individuals who personally carry on farming or are engaged in agriculture" (Article 3 of the same law), and the model articles of incorporation stipulate that individuals who cultivate 10 ares or more or are engaged in agriculture for 90 days or more per year are full members, and most agricultural cooperatives follow this rule. However, in addition to these individual members, a 1962 amendment to the law allowed agricultural cooperative corporations to join, bringing the scope of membership to include corporate members. A distinctive feature of the qualifications for membership in Japanese agricultural cooperatives is that a system of associate members has been established in addition to these individual full members, giving eligibility to join to non-farmers who have an address within the agricultural cooperative's district and are eligible to use the cooperative's facilities. However, because agricultural cooperatives are cooperative organizations for farmers, measures have been taken not to grant common benefit rights to associate members.

The reality of agricultural cooperative membership is that all farmers join based on village organizations. The main reasons for this are that villages have a traditional character as communities involved in the production and life of farmers, they have been the basic organization for cooperative management since industrial cooperatives, agricultural cooperatives were an indispensable economic organization in rural areas at the time of their establishment, and related administrative policies have been implemented through agricultural cooperatives. Due to these factors, agricultural cooperatives have been able to effectively manage and promote their business by relying on or utilizing the common functions of villages.

However, with the changes in the internal and external environmental conditions of agricultural cooperatives during the postwar economic growth, the organization of agricultural cooperatives underwent a major transformation, leading to dramatic changes as shown in the following figures: In 1955, there were 12,985 agricultural cooperatives, but after the Agricultural Cooperative Merger Subsidy Law was enacted in 1961, the number of cooperatives fell to 2,284 in 1997 (Heisei 9), about one sixth of the original number, and continues to fall (there were also 3,363 specialized agricultural cooperatives at the end of 1997, but their activity is not necessarily high except for those related to specific agricultural and livestock products). In addition, during the same period, the number of regular member households fell from 5,512,195 to 4,677,434, and the number of regular members fell from 6,245,574 to 5,388,346, due to people leaving farming or losing their licenses, while the number of associate members increased 5.4 times, from 688,864 to 3,724,515. As a result, the total number of members increased by 31.4%, from 6,934,438 to 9,112,861. The increase in the number of associate members is the result of those who lost their regular membership status and non-farmers who moved into the area, and as a result, the proportion of associate members in the total number of members has reached 40.9%. Furthermore, since there are many regular member farmers who are heavily dependent on non-farming income and have almost no sense of being farmers, today's agricultural cooperatives, although there are regional differences, can be considered to have a largely non-agricultural, non-farming organizational base, on average across the country.

[Tetsuo Takeuchi]

operation

Agricultural cooperatives are managed by the highest decision-making body, the general meeting of members or the general meeting of representatives (which can be adopted by agricultural cooperatives of a certain size or larger), and the board of directors. At the general meeting and the general meeting of representatives, only regular members exercise equal voting rights (one vote per person) to decide business policies, approve budgets and accounts, and dispose of surplus funds, and also elect directors and auditors to whom they delegate business operations. The board of directors then elects a few so-called full-time directors to handle day-to-day business operations. In electing directors and auditors, agricultural cooperatives have traditionally elected them from among regular members for each region under their jurisdiction. However, in order to cope with the expansion of agricultural cooperatives and the sophistication of the business environment, legal measures have been taken to expand the scope of election of officers from among non-regular members and to require agricultural cooperatives of a certain size or larger to appoint non-member auditors and full-time auditors. In addition, in order to improve the level of the executive system, a management committee made up of representatives of regular members may be established, which may then select directors to take on specialized management functions and have them carry out business operations. Japanese agricultural cooperatives are characterized by the existence of member village-based organizations, producer organizations by crop, and youth and women's organizations, which play a role in forming opinions regarding the management of the cooperative and participating in its operations.

[Tetsuo Takeuchi]

business

The main activities permitted under the Agricultural Cooperatives Law (Article 10) are as follows: loaning funds necessary for members' business or life, accepting savings or regular installment deposits, supplying agricultural materials and daily necessities, establishing shared facilities, transporting, processing, storing and selling produce, developing, managing, selling or leasing farmland, accepting agricultural management contracts, mutual aid, medical care, and guidance on farming and life, as well as a wide variety of other activities incidental to these. Of these, financial activities are subject to certain restrictions and require approval from administrative authorities. Furthermore, in response to the progress of the aging society, elderly welfare activities were added in a 1992 (Heisei 4) revision to the law. In terms of the volume of business, the four main activities are credit, mutual aid, sales and purchasing. Needless to say, the business of agricultural cooperatives is characterized by being supported by the cooperative economic effects of its members, but with regard to the use of the business of comprehensive agricultural cooperatives in particular, what is significant is that each business is not carried out and used independently of other businesses, but rather each business is organically related to the actual circumstances of the members' economies, and performs a comprehensive support function for the members' economies.

One characteristic of agricultural cooperatives' business use is that while consumer cooperatives, which are also cooperatives, prohibit use by anyone other than their members, agricultural cooperatives allow non-members to use their facilities, in principle up to one-fifth of the amount used by members (although there are separate provisions for some businesses).

Looking at the business volume for fiscal 1997, loans were 20.8051 trillion yen, or 9.85092 billion yen per association, savings were 67.9798 trillion yen, or 32.1874 billion yen, sales were 5.7077 trillion yen, or 2.70767 billion yen, purchases were 4.6575 trillion yen, or 2.20527 billion yen (of which production materials purchases were 2.9166 trillion yen, or 1.38095 billion yen, and daily necessities purchases were 1.7410 trillion yen, or 824.32 million yen), long-term mutual aid holdings at the end of the period were 388.5847 trillion yen, or 36.64 million policies (of which comprehensive life mutual aid was 247.2512 trillion yen, or 21.67 million policies, and building rehabilitation mutual aid was 141.3215 trillion yen, or 14.96 million policies), and short-term mutual aid premiums were 435.21241 billion yen, or 42.85 million policies. Agricultural cooperatives operate on a non-profit basis, and any surpluses arising from the use of these businesses are usually disposed of as various reserve funds, interest on capital contributions (government ordinances stipulate a maximum of 7% per year for individual cooperatives and 8% per year for federations), and dividends in proportion to the amount of use made by the cooperatives.

At first glance, agricultural cooperatives appear to have a huge volume of business, but behind this lies the major transformation of their organizational foundations, as mentioned above. This is due above all to the fact that domestic agriculture, the industrial base of agricultural cooperatives, was forced to shrink as Japan's economy and society evolved. This process, as mentioned above, led to a significant heterogeneity of member economies, leading to a shift away from agriculture and farming as a whole. As a result, agricultural cooperative management leaned toward non-agricultural businesses, that is, to a stronger reliance on credit and mutual aid businesses, and came to establish a structure in which agricultural business was supported by the profits from these businesses. The diverse business development of comprehensive agricultural cooperatives and the associate member system enabled them to respond flexibly, organizationally and operationally, to these changes in the domestic and international environment, and shaped the image of agricultural cooperatives today.

[Tetsuo Takeuchi]

Basic Policy

In the course of these changes, the agricultural cooperatives have held a national agricultural cooperatives convention every three years since 1952 and made resolutions regarding the basic direction of their movement. During that time, the agricultural cooperatives have consistently discussed the issue of rebuilding local agriculture and expressed their intentions, but the turning point in the direction of the agricultural cooperatives was the resolution of the 12th convention held in 1970. There, along with the "Comprehensive Three-Year Plan" that called for the establishment of a self-construction line and the strengthening of comprehensive strength, the so-called "Basic Living Concept" was resolved, and along with the "Promotion of the Basic Agricultural Concept" resolved at the previous convention, a two-front operation was set in which agricultural activities and daily living activities were the two wheels of the wheel. That year was symbolic, as in addition to the progress of structural changes in the organizational foundation due to high economic growth, the problem of rice surplus came to the surface and production adjustments were started. However, since the government maintained its position that the agricultural cooperatives were professional agricultural associations, it did not explicitly indicate a change in basic policy. Since then, however, while agricultural cooperatives have repeatedly presented agricultural promotion policies, they have gradually strengthened their focus on activities related to lifestyle, health, and community building, and adopted resolutions related to lifestyle activities, such as the "Basic Policy for Agricultural Cooperative Lifestyle Activities" at the 17th convention in 1985, "Creating an Attractive Community" at the 18th convention, "Creating Comfortable Villages and Towns Based on Agriculture and Rural Development" at the 19th convention, "Strengthening Cooperative Activities and Promoting Community Development" at the 20th convention, and "Revitalizing Rural Areas and Contributing to Local Communities" at the 21st convention in 1997. Also in 1997, the "JA Manifesto -- What We at JA Aim For --" was adopted, which outlines the mindset of members and officials. This mandate, which consists of the following five points, can be said to represent part of the vision for agricultural cooperative movements today. (1) Let's promote local agriculture and protect our country's food, greenery, and water; (2) Let's build a rich local community where people can live in peace by contributing to the environment, culture, and welfare; (3) Let's achieve cooperative results through active participation and solidarity in JA; (4) Let's manage JA in a sound manner and increase its credibility based on the fundamental principles of autonomy, independence, and democratic management; (5) Let's pursue meaning in life together by learning about and practicing the principles of cooperation.

However, in the background of the development of these cooperative activity policies, the conditions for the existence of cooperatives as management bodies became increasingly severe, and it became inevitable to carry out a structural reorganization of the cooperatives in order to stabilize management. Since the 1980s, the growth of each business slowed down due to the stagnation of agricultural production and the slump in agricultural product prices, as well as the enactment of the Food Law and the progress of the liberalization of agricultural and livestock product imports, and profits worsened due to changes in the competitive environment of the financial business. For this reason, the cooperatives have been working to improve management efficiency under the motto of management renewal, and at the 18th convention in 1988, they resolved to promote wide-area mergers and to realize a system of 1,000 agricultural cooperatives by the 21st century, and at the 19th convention, they decided to reorganize the previous three-tier system and move to a two-tier system in principle. Today, more than 50 years after its establishment, the cooperatives in the cooperative system are at a major turning point.

[Tetsuo Takeuchi]

"Modern Agricultural Cooperative Theory" edited by Kuwahara Masanobu, 3 volumes (1974, Ie no Hikari Kyokai)" ▽ "The Theory and History of Cooperatives" by Takeuchi Tetsuo and Ikuta Yasushi (1976, Minerva Shobo)" ▽ "The Agricultural Cooperatives of Tomorrow" by Takeuchi Tetsuo and Otahara Takaaki (1986, Nobunkyo)" ▽ "New Edition Dictionary of Cooperatives" edited by Kawano Shigenobu et al. (1986, Ie no Hikari Kyokai)" ▽ "Questioning the Direction of the Agricultural Cooperative Movement" edited by Fujitani Tsuji (1997, Ie no Hikari Kyokai)" ▽ "The International Cooperative Movement: Towards a Moral Economy" by J. Birchall and supervised translation by Tsuzuki Chushichi (1999, Ie no Hikari Kyokai)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

農業協同組合とは、農業者が協同の理念と行動に基づき、自らの利益を擁護するため組織した協同事業組織体である。その機能は国ごと組合ごとにさまざまな特徴をもっているが、主たる事業領域を列挙すると、農業に対する信用供与、共済、農産物の販売や加工、農業生産資材の購買、農業用施設・機械の共同利用、農業技術・経営の指導などである。また生活物資の購買などを行っている国もある。日本における今日の農業協同組合は、1947年（昭和22）に制定された農業協同組合法（農協法）に基づいて組織されている。通常それは「農協」と略称されており、また1991年（平成3）からは「JA」（Japan Agricultural Cooperatives）という愛称を採用し、これを用いることが多い。

　今日、農業協同組合は世界各国の農村に存在し、その制度を保証するため、それぞれの国が協同組合法あるいは農業協同組合法を制定している。しかし、各国の社会経済の近代化の歴史や農業構造の違いによって、農協の沿革と性格はさまざまである。先進国における一つのタイプは、18世紀の末期以降スイス、オランダ、ドイツ、デンマーク、フランス、アメリカなど、欧米諸国において設立された牛乳、バター、チーズやぶどう酒などの生産加工と販売、また穀物、野菜、果実、花卉(かき)などの販売に関する業種別のいわゆる専門農協である。これらの農協は、農畜産物の商品化の進展に対応して設立された農業者の組合である。他の一つは19世紀のなかばにドイツ中西部で、F・W・ライファイゼン（1818―1888）によって設立された、信用事業を中心に購買、販売などの事業を営む組合の流れである。これはその後オーストリア、イタリア、フランスなどに広まり、20世紀に入るとヨーロッパ大陸の多くの国にライファイゼン型農村信用組合として普及した。今日先進国の農業は、農産物の貿易自由化の進展のもとで、国内農業の縮小や農業生産力格差の存在をめぐって、固有の利害関係を生み出している。このことは、農業を産業的基盤とする農協にとって、劣位に立つ国の農協の場合、存立にかかわる重大な問題を発生させることになる。また、西欧諸国ではEU統合をめぐって、域内農協間の再編が問題となっている。これら先進諸国の農協以外に、アジア・アフリカの旧植民地国では、植民地時代に宗主国の植民地政策の一環として設立された経験を一部でもっているが、一般的にみて生産農民に根差したものではなく、入植者などを対象とした局部的な存在に過ぎなかった。第二次世界大戦後の独立の結果、土地改革が行われ、各国で農協の設立が経済発展のための重要な政策的手段として推進された。しかし、それぞれの農村社会の複雑性に加えて、農協の組織化に対する農民の意識と行動が未熟であり、特定の地域を除いてその発展は順調ではない。こうした世界的な状況のもとで、日本の農協は、さまざまな側面からみていたって特異な性格と、それによってもたらされる問題構造をもっているといえる。

［武内哲夫］

沿革

日本における農業協同組合は、1900年（明治33）の産業組合法に準拠した産業組合として制度的な歩みを開始した。産業組合は1933年から二次にわたる拡充運動の結果、ほぼ全国的な普及を示したが、その後、戦時国家体制への移行に伴う1943年（昭和18）の農業団体法によって、他の農業諸団体とともに農業会という統制団体へ統合された。1945年、第二次世界大戦の終結に伴ってGHQ（連合国最高司令官総司令部）は同年末、日本国政府に対しいわゆる農民解放指令を発し、半封建的な農地制度の払拭(ふっしょく)を指示した。GHQはそのなかで農地改革によって生み出された自作農を保護するための措置として、民主的な農業協同組合の設立を求めた。しかし法案策定の過程で農協の性格について、零細農耕制の克服のため生産の協同化に配慮した農林省の構想と、欧米流の自由主義的・個人主義的性格を主張するGHQとの間で意見が対立し、素案をめぐって実に八次にわたる交渉が行われた。しかし結果的に後者の意向に沿い、協同組合原則を忠実に体現した農業協同組合法が成立し1947年11月に公布された。

　農協の設立は、法の施行数か月後の1948年2月に、早くも市町村数1万0499に対し1市町村複数組合を含んで3万0227組合（出資組合1万5863、非出資組合1万4364）に達した。この背景には、産業組合や農業会という先行する組織経験と関係者の設立への努力とに加え、当時の食糧増産に関連する施策が農協を軸として展開されており、そのため農民の加入を不可避的にしたという事情があった。しかし、これらの農協は組織規模が零細なことに加え、指導層が公職から追放されたことなどがあって、安定した経営発展のための条件に欠けていた。そのためそれらの多くが戦後の財政再建のためのデフレ政策の余波によって経営不振に陥り、1950年代後半に至ってようやく経営再建を果たした。しかしその直後からは経済の高度成長の影響を受け、農外所得の増大による組合員経済の向上、それに伴う信用・共済両事業の伸長によって経営的にはおおむね順調な歩みを示した。しかしその背後で組合員の異質化によるニーズの多様化高度化が生じ、また競争企業の進出に対する農協事業の機能不全によって、地域社会における農協の独占的地位の低下が進んだ。さらに1970年代後半以降の低成長経済への移行、その後の世界的規模での自由化の進展によって、農協は組織目的の追求と経営存立をめぐって、重大な状況に立たされている。正准組合員900万人と膨大な事業量、そして全国的な組織網を有する農協であるが、今日、抜本的な構造改革を迫られている。なおこの間、1991年（平成3）に農協はJAという愛称を制定し、通常この名称を用いている。

　農協の連合組織は、1948年末にはほぼ全国的に設立が終わり、都道府県段階には信用、販売、購買、指導などの農協連合会（後日、販売と購買は合併し経済農協連となる）が、さらに養蚕、畜産、開拓、厚生、運輸、園芸などの連合会が県域、郡域で設立された。またこれらの設立と並行して全国段階に全国販売農協連（全販連）、全国購買農協連（全購連）、全国指導農協連（全指連）、全国厚生文化農協連（全厚連）、全国運輸農協連（全運連）などの全国連合会が設立された。ただ共済事業の連合会の設置は遅れ、全国共済農協連（全共連）が設立されたのは1951年であった。このうち指導農協連系統は1954年の農協法改正によって、都道府県、全国それぞれに一つずつ、単位農協と連合会を会員とし系統農協を代表する組織として、各都道府県農協中央会（都道府県中）と全国農業協同組合中央会（全中）に改組された。なお1972年には全販連と全購連が合併し、全国農業協同組合連合会（全農）が設置された。これらの連合組織とは別個に信用事業の全国機関として農林中央金庫があるが、これは農林中央金庫法に準拠し農協とともに漁協や森林組合などを組織母体とした金融機関である。

　このように市町村段階において全農家を組織した農協は、それを基盤に都道府県および全国段階に事業別の連合組織を形成し、それらは各段階ごとに農協と連合組織を会員とする中央会を組織し、それを軸とした国際的にみてもまれな整然たる系統三段階制を、近年に至るまで構成してきた。

［武内哲夫］

組織

農協法第1条では、「この法律は、農業者の協同組織の発達を促進することにより、農業生産力の増進及び農業者の経済的社会的地位の向上を図り、もつて国民経済の発展に寄与することを目的とする」と法制定の趣旨について述べており、農協は農民の協同組織として、組合員農家の営農条件の安定と発展を図ることを第一義的な目的としている。日本の場合、この法に準拠する農協には、信用事業とその他の事業を兼営するいわゆる総合農協と、信用事業を営まず特定の農畜産物の取扱いないしは事業に特化した専門農協との2系統がある。欧米先進国では後者の活動が顕著であるが、日本の場合、小農民の経済を多角的に支える協同組織として、前者が全国的に普及し系統農協の主軸を形成している。したがって以下の記述は、総合農協、なかでも単位組合を対象としている。

　農協の組合員資格については、「自ら農業を営み、又は農業に従事する個人」（同法3条）と定められ、模範定款例においては10アール以上を耕作あるいは年間90日以上農業に従事する個人を正組合員とすると定め、ほとんどの農協がこれに拠(よ)っている。しかしこれら個人組合員に加えて、1962年（昭和37）の法改正で農事組合法人が加盟しうるとされ、法人組合員を含むことになった。日本の農協の組合員資格に特徴的なことは、この正組合員個人とは別途に准組合員制度が設けられ、農協の地区内に住所を有し組合の施設を利用することが適当な非農民に、加入資格を与えていることである。もっとも農協が農民の協同組織であることから、准組合員には共益権を与えないという措置が講じられている。

　農協への加入の実態については、集落組織を基盤に全農民が加入していることが特徴的である。その要因としては、集落が農家の生産と生活にかかわる共同体という伝統的な性格をもっていること、産業組合以来組合運営上の基礎組織であったこと、設立当時の農村において農協が不可欠の経済組織であったこと、関連行政施策が農協を通じて行われてきたこと、といったことがあずかって大きい。これらの要因から農協は、集落のもっている共同機能に依存あるいはそれを活用することを通して、効果的な運営および事業推進を図ってきたのであった。

　しかし戦後経済成長下の農協の内外にわたる環境条件の変化に伴って、農協の組織は大きく変貌し、次の数字の示すような劇的な変化を招いた。すなわち1955年には1万2985組合あった農協は、1961年に制定された農協合併助成法以降、1997年（平成9）には2284へと約6分の1に減少し、引き続き減少を続けている（ほかに1997年末に専門農協が3363組合あるが、特定の農畜産物関連を除いて活動はかならずしも活発ではない）。また離農や資格喪失によって同一期間に正組合員戸数が、551万2195戸から467万7434戸へ、正組合員数は624万5574人から538万8346人へと減少し、これとは逆に准組合員数は68万8864人から372万4515人へと5.4倍に増加した。その結果、総組合員数は693万4438人から911万2861人へと31.4％増加している。准組合員数の増加は正組合員の資格喪失者や管内に流入した非農家の加入の結果であるが、そのため総組合員数に占める准組合員数の比率は40.9％にまで達している。さらに正組合員農家のなかにも農外所得に大きく依存し、農家らしさをほとんど欠いているものが多数存在するところから、今日の農協は、地域的な差異を伴うが、全国を平均的にみる限り、組織基盤が非農業的・非農家的性格を大きくもつに至っていると考えられる。

［武内哲夫］

運営

農協の運営は最高意思決定機関である組合員総会または総代会（一定規模以上の農協で採用できる）と、理事会とによって行われる。総会および総代会においては、正組合員のみが1人1票という平等の票決権を行使して、事業方針、予算・決算の承認、剰余金の処分などを決定し、また業務執行を委任する理事および監事を選出する。そして理事会は若干名のいわゆる常勤理事を選出し、日常的な業務執行にあたらせている。理事・監事の選出に際して農協は、管内の地域を単位として正組合員のなかから選出するのを通例としてきた。しかし農協の規模拡大と経営環境の高度化に対処するため、役員の正組合員以外からの選出枠を拡大したり、一定規模以上の農協に対して員外の監事・常勤監事の設置を義務づけるという法的措置が講じられてきた。また執行体制の高度化を図るため、正組合員代表から構成された経営管理委員会を設け、それが専門的経営機能を担う理事を別途に選任し、業務執行にあたらせるという制度を選択する道が開かれた。なお、日本の農協では、組合員の集落別組織、作目別生産者組織、青年・女性組織などが存在し、これらが農協運営に対する意思形成、事業参加機能を担っていることが特徴的である。

［武内哲夫］

事業

農協法（10条）で認められている主要な事業を列記すると次のようになる。組合員の事業または生活に必要な資金の貸付、貯金または定期積金の受入、農業資材・生活物資の供給、共同利用施設の設置、生産物の運搬・加工・貯蔵・販売、農地等の造成・管理・売渡しや貸付、農業経営の受託、共済、医療、営農・生活に関する指導等であり、またこれらの事業に付帯するさまざまな事業と実に多彩である。このうち金融関連の事業に関しては、事業実施にあたって一定の制約や行政庁の認可を必要とするなどの条件が存在する。さらに1992年（平成4）の法改正で老齢社会化の進展に対応して、老人福祉に関する事業が付加された。これらの事業のうち事業量からみると、信用、共済、販売、購買という四つの事業が中心になっている。いうまでもなく農協の事業は、組合員の協同経済効果の発揮に支えられることに特徴があるが、とくに総合農協の事業利用に関しては、個々の事業が他の事業と無関係に実施され利用されるのではなく、組合員経済の実情に即してそれぞれの事業が有機的に関連しあいながら、組合員経済に対し総合的な支援機能を発揮するところに意義がある。

　なお、農協の事業利用について特徴的なことは、同じ協同組合である消費生活協同組合の場合、組合員以外の利用が禁止されているのに対して、農協では原則として組合員の利用分量の5分の1以内で、員外利用が認められていることである（事業によっては別に定めがある）。

　1997年度の事業分量をみると、貸出金20兆8051億円・1組合当り98億5092万円、貯金67兆9798億円・同321億8740万円、販売額5兆7077億円・同27億0767万円、購買額4兆6575億円・同22億0527万円（うち生産資材購買額2兆9166億円・同13億8095万円、生活物資購買額1兆7410億円・同8億2432万円）、長期共済期末保有高388兆5847億円、3664万件（うち生命総合共済247兆2512億円、2167万件、建物更生共済141兆3215億円、1496万件）、短期共済掛金4352億1241万円、4285万件となっている。農協の事業は非営利を原則として営まれるが、これらの事業利用の結果生じた剰余金は通常、諸積立金、出資金に対する利子（政令で単位農協は年7％、連合会は年8％を上限とすると定められている）、組合利用高に比例した配当として処分されている。

　一見すると農協は膨大な事業量を擁しているが、その背景には先述したような組織基盤の大きな変貌を伴っていた。それは、なによりも日本の経済社会の展開過程で農協組織の産業的基盤である国内農業が、縮小を余儀なくされたことに起因していた。そしてその過程は先に触れたように組合員経済の異質化、全体としての非農業化・非農家化を著しく招いたのであった。その結果、農協経営は非農業的事業への傾斜すなわち信用・共済両事業への依存を強め、これらの事業収益によって農業面の事業が支えられるといった体質を定着させるに至った。総合農協の多彩な事業展開と准組合員制度とは、こうした内外の環境変化に対して組織的、事業的に柔軟に対応することを可能にし、今日の農協像を形成してきた。

［武内哲夫］

基本的政策

このような農協の推移の過程で農協系統は、1952年（昭和27）以来3年おきに全国農協大会を開催し、基本的な運動方向に関する決議を行ってきた。その間農協は、一貫して地域農業の再建の課題について論議し意思表明を行ってきたが、農協の方向性について転機をもたらしたのは、1970年に開催された第12回大会の決議であった。そこでは自主建設路線の確立と総合力の強化をうたった「総合3か年計画」とともに、いわゆる「生活基本構想」を決議し、前回の大会で決議された「農業基本構想の推進」と並んで、営農活動と生活活動を両輪とするという二正面作戦が方向づけられたのであった。その年は、経済の高度成長による組織基盤の構造的変化の進展に加えて、米の過剰問題が表面化し生産調整が開始されたという象徴的な年であった。もっとも行政が農協に対して、農業の職能組合であるという立場を堅持していることもあって、明示的に基本政策の転換を示したわけではなかった。しかしそれ以降農協は、農業振興策を繰り返し提示しつつも、しだいに生活、健康、地域社会づくりなどの活動への志向を強化し、1985年の第17回大会では「農協生活活動基本方針」、18回大会では「魅力ある地域社会の創造」、19回大会では「農業・農村振興を基本とした快適なわがむら・まちづくり」、20回大会では「協同活動の強化と地域づくりの推進」、そして1997年（平成9）の第21回大会では「農村の活性化と地域社会への貢献」といったスローガンを、生活面活動に関連した決議として採択している。また1997年には組合員と役職員の心構えを示す「JA綱領――わたしたちJAのめざすもの――」を決定した。次の5項目からなるこの綱領は、今日の農協の運動構想の一端を示しているともいえる。(1)地域の農業を振興し、わが国の食と緑と水を守ろう、(2)環境・文化・福祉への貢献を通じて、安心して暮らせる豊かな地域社会を築こう、(3)JAへの積極的な参加と連帯によって、協同の成果を実現しよう、(4)自主・自立と民主的運営の基本に立ち、JAを健全に経営し信頼を高めよう、(5)協同の理念を学び実践を通じて、ともに生きがいを追求しよう。

　しかしこうした農協の活動方針の展開の背景において、経営体としての農協をめぐる存立条件は一段と厳しさを強め、経営の安定化のために系統農協の構造的再編を図ることが不可避となってきた。1980年代以降、農業生産の停滞、農産物価格の低迷に加えて、食糧法の制定、農畜産物輸入自由化の進展などによって各事業の伸長が鈍化し、また金融事業の競争環境の変化によって収益面の悪化が進んだ。そのため農協は経営刷新をモットーに経営効率の向上に努めてきたが、1988年の第18回大会において広域合併を推進し、21世紀をめどに1000農協体制を実現することを決議し、さらに19回大会において従来の系統三段階を再編し、原則として事業二段階制に移行することを定めた。設立以来50余年を経た今日、系統農協は、一大転換期を迎えているといえる。

［武内哲夫］

『桑原正信監修『現代農業協同組合論』全3巻（1974・家の光協会）』▽『武内哲夫・生田靖著『協同組合の理論と歴史』（1976・ミネルヴァ書房）』▽『武内哲夫・太田原高昭著『明日の農協』（1986・農文協）』▽『川野重任他編『新版　協同組合事典』（1986・家の光協会）』▽『藤谷築次編著『農協運動の展開方向を問う』（1997・家の光協会）』▽『J・バーチャル著、都築忠七監訳『国際協同組合運動　モラル・エコノミーをめざして』（1999・家の光協会）』