Assessing Multiple Stakeholders' Collaborative Network in Promoting Eco-agriculture

While increasing attention is paid to consumer food safety and ecological conservation, eco-agriculture has become a critical topic in the policy for promoting sustainable development goals. Understanding the process of transitioning from conventional to organic rice cultivation facilitates the promotion of eco-agriculture. This study did so by examining Yuanli Township in Miaoli County, Taiwan. Specifically, interviews were conducted with various local stakeholders to elucidate the network of collaboration in eco-agriculture, the content of collaboration, and the degree of support for relevant tasks. The research results showed that local contract-farming merchants controlled the price of organic rice produced by farmers and local agricultural production and marketing groups. The initial cost of establishing one's own brand remained high. Therefore, price was the most critical factor determining whether a farmer engaged in eco-agriculture. This study also discovered that to date, the Yuanli area lacks endogenous momentum for collaboration, resulting in patchy collaboration among local stakeholders. Eco-agricultural development is unsustainable if it relies only on exogenous actors, such as government agencies. We suggest for local multiple stakeholders to begin with a conceptual shift and establish an neo-endogenous collaborative model with a clear set of actors and a focus on policy promotion. Subsequently, these stakeholders should establish a platform for external collaboration to obtain resource such as technology and human resources and promote ecological compensation measures, thereby developing diversified sales channels. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.