The Role of Care Farms in Rural Revitalization: A Qualitative Study in Japan from the Managers' Perspective

Japan's rural regions face intertwined challenges of farmland abandonment, labour shortages, and population decline, while people with disabilities encounter persistent barriers to employment and social participation. To investigate how care farming contributes to rural revitalization, we conducted a qualitative study using purposive sampling of 17 exemplary initiatives officially recognized by MAFF across eight regions. Data were collected through site visits, field observations, and semi-structured interviews with farm managers. Through inductive grounded theory coding in NVivo, five domains of impact emerged: (1) utilization of abandoned farmland, (2) agricultural experience and education, (3) branding and economic integration, (4) regional communication and coexistence, and (5) inheritance of traditional culture. While exemplary cases demonstrated how care farms can restore idle land, foster inclusive labour exchange, and revitalize local traditions, structural barriers persist. Most initiatives remain at early stages, constrained by legal restrictions, limited financial capacity, and insufficient staff training. This study redefines care farms not merely as welfare providers, but as “community resilience hubs” for rural communities' survival. This perspective distinguishes the Japanese model—driven by the urgency of depopulation—from frameworks focused solely on therapeutic outcomes or farm business viability. The study concludes that care farms act as hybrid institutions linking welfare, agriculture, economy, and culture, holding significant but unevenly realized potential to sustain rural communities as a vital defensive mechanism under demographic pressure.