鑑於臺灣的農民組織過去對農業與農村的建設與發展居功闕偉，但在當前卻面臨多種環境變遷而受到重大的衝擊，使其在協助推行農業政策，促進農業發展的過程中，面臨多種問題，致使在組織的結構、制度、功能、與角色上未能十分健全，需要在政策上重新加以調整。過去有關農民組織的研究不少，但卻較缺乏對環境變遷因素及其對組織影響的分析，而且過去的研究，對農民組織調適政策方面，較缺少對組織結構、制度及功能作較大幅度調整的選擇。綜合上述的問題背景，本研究的目的乃側重在下列幾個重點上：（1）廓繪出環境因素對農民組織產生較重大的影響，（2）分析處於環境變遷因素影響下，農民組織的結構、制度、功能、與角色之不適應性及所衍生之問題，（3）發揭為應對環境變遷，農民組織為使結構、制度、功能、與角色趨於健全，所應選擇的適應政策。又因為臺灣農民組織的種類繁多，而其中農業社會為其最重要者，其歷史最為悠久，是故，本研究乃僅選擇農會為主要的分析對象。 本研究分析農會的環境變遷及其對農會衝擊時，發現在過去數十年內社會、經濟、政治與法律、國際關係、自然環境等因素都有明顯之變遷，且對多數農會產生很大的不良衝擊與影響。針對在環境衝擊下農會組織的不適應性，本研究指出農會組織在結構、制度、功能、與角色方面都產生問題，具體言之其問題如下：（1）會員性質認定困難，與鄉鎮農會間及三級農會間關係不良等結構性的問題，（2）組織領導人產生方式，總幹事的任職期限，組織盈餘分配等制度方面之問題，（3）在會務、供銷、信用、推廣、及保險業務等功能方面的問題，（4）對保障農民權益，提高農民知識與技能，促進農家現代化，增進農民生產收益，改善農家生活，以及發展農村經濟角色等方面的不適應性問題。 本研究參照各影響因素，並調查四百餘個農會正會員的結果，筆者建議農會在政策調整應作如下之選擇：（一）組織結構更改方面：（1）選擇回歸農民的團體並剔除贊助會員的結構，（2）選擇農會間不合併但合作的結構，（3）選擇維持三級農會結構，但應改善農會間關係的組織垂直架構，（4）選擇基層農會保留信用部的結構。（二）制度改進方面：（1）選擇直選農會理監事及總幹事，（2）選擇調整總幹事任期制，（3）選擇會員入股分紅制。（三）功能改善方面：（1）由總幹事克制本身的權力，改善農會財務等辦法而加強農會功能，（2）由提供合理供銷價格。增加服務種類，供應品質良好之物品，改善售後服務、配合農民時間，正確指導農民使用農藥與肥料的方法，以及辦好共同運銷，以改善供銷業務，（3）加強信用部管理，強化信用功能，（4）充實推廣人員知能、減少兼職、穩定職位，配合農民需要，改善服務態度與行為等方面，強化推廣功能，（5）擴大辦理業務，兼辦農民及農產保險，合理收取保費，便利農民等方面，以增進保險功能。針對農會組織角色之調整，本研究指出應有如下的政策選擇：（1）保障農民權益，（2）提高農民知識與技能，（3）促進農家現代化，（4）增進農民生產收益，（5）改善農家生活，及（6）發展農村經濟角色等。對於上列每方面的角色調整，在本研究中都分別作更詳細的建議，供農政單位參考。

Farmers' organizations in Taiwan had made significant contributions to agricultural development and rural construction in the past few decades, but they confront great pressure and problems in the process of promoting the agricultural development process at the present time. These pressure and problems are mainly caused by the great changes in the environmental conditions. Shortcomings and problems of farmers' organization exist not only in structural aspect, but also in institutional, functional, and role performing dimensions. These problems and shortcoming needs policy adjustment. There have been many studies on farmers' organizations in Taiwan, but the study on the impact of environmental changes of these organizations or the study on the policy choice for adjustment on structure, institution, function, and role of these organizations is lacking. This study attempted to achieve these goals: (1) to delineate important effects of environmental factors on farmers' organizations, (2) to analyze the maladjustment and other problems of farmers' organizations due to the impact of environmental changes, (3) to reveal proper choices for adjusting policies to improve the structure, institution, function, and role of farmers' organizations. Science the farmers' associations are the most important farmers' organizations in Taiwan, and their history is much longer than other types of farmers' organizations, this study selected only such kind of farmers' organization for analysis. On the aspects of the change and environmental factors and the impact, this study found that social, economic, political, legal, international, and natural environmental factors have apparently changed in the past decades and these changes have had a great effect on maladjustment problems of most farmers' associations. Important problems are: (1) There is inconsistency between local farmers' associations and higher level farmers' associations, (2) There is an institutional problem about the election process for the leaderships, the term and duration of general manager and the distribution of profits, (3) There are functional problems about administrating, supply and marketing, credit, extension, and insurance business, (4) There are role performance problems regarding to the protection of farmers' right, the advancement of farmers' knowledge and technology, the promotion of household modernization, the improvement of farmers' productivity, the betterment of farmers' living condition, and the development of rural economy. After investigating the impact of various factors on farmers' associations, through measuring the opinions of 448 sampled local extension agents and local administrative officers, this study suggested the following policy choices for adjustment: (a) on the aspect of organizational restructuring important policy choices should include (1) to exclude sponsored members and to open farmers’ associations only to real farmer members, (2) to promote horizontal cooperation among local farmers' associations without combining associations, (3) to maintain a three level system, but the vertical relationship among them should be improved, (4) to keep the credit division in the structure of the local association. (b) on the aspect of institutional improvement, important policy choices should include: (1) to implement a direct election system for associations’ leaders, (2) to limit the maximum position duration of general manager, (3) to share bonuses with all associations’ members. (c) on the aspect of functional advancement, important policy choices should cover (1) to decrease the general managers’ authority and improve associations’ financial conditions to improve the associations’ management function, (2) to offer reasonable prices, to increase necessary service, to provide good quality commodities, to supervise the correct uses of agricultural chemicals, and to implement cooperative system for farmers. (3) to strengthen the credit functions through good management, (4) to improve extension agents knowledge, to stabilize their positions, and to improve their service attitude and behavior, (5) to expand business to take care of farmers’ health and crop insurance. On the aspect of role adjustment, important policy choices may include: (1) to protect farmers’ rights, (2) to improve farmers’ knowledge and technology, (3) to promote modernizing farm households, (4) to increase farmers’ profits, (5) to improve farm households’ standard of living, and (6) to develop the rural economy. In each aspect of policy choices on role advancement, more detailed suggestions have been made.