Analysis of Performance Factors According to the Operation of Care Farms

Abstract

Background and objective: This study was conducted to understand the current status and performance factors of domestic agricultural management in order to develop a business model that meets the needs of the times along with the newly emerging demand for agro-healingMethods: An online survey was conducted on 170 care farming business entities nationwide, and the collected data were frequency-coded using SPSS Ver.25. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to extract performance factors, and a reliability analysis was performed to verify internal consistency for each factor.Results: The factors that determine the performance of care farms, such as sales and profits, were classified into seven performance determinants (X1 to X7). Factor 1 was classified as one factor by grouping X2(excellence in use of animals/ plants), X6 (program excellence), X5(quality of facility), and X3 (size of facility) together, and Factor 2 was classified as one factor by grouping two items, X7 (governmental support) and X1(location) together, showing high internal consistency between all Cronbach’s α. The correlation between the factors determining care farm performance did not have statistically significant results between X7 (governmental support), X2 (excellence in use of animals/ plants), and X6 (excellence in program), but overall, there was a correlation between items that was statistically significant. A regression analysis was conducted to determine the variables affecting the performance factors of care farms, and at the 95% confidence level, both the location and sales of care farms were statistically significant.Conclusion: Care farms that provide care farming services were often operated on a small scale because they didn’t have a sufficient base of profit, with the exception of farms operated in connection with former rural education farms. In the future, it is considered for care farms necessary to utilize factors of regional differentiation, such as the locational environment and the characteristics of the region, or to link with multiple targets and institutions in the region.