Irene Martínez-López, Marta Fernández-Barcala, Manuel González-Díaz
Abstract Cooperatives are a widely prevalent organizational form in the agrifood sector that have been extensively examined in the literature. The primary objective of this literature review is to evaluate approaches taken in studying the performance of these organizations, with a specific focus on whether these analyses have duly recognized the multifaceted nature of cooperatives, characterized by having multiple objectives. Second, the review examines research comparing cooperatives with other types of organizations to ascertain whether, despite operating in the same markets, such analyses have acknowledged that these organizations pursue vastly different objectives. Finally, this literature review also ascertains whether studies have considered the influence of organizational innovations (e.g. allowing capitalist investors or share transferability) on cooperatives’ performance. Correctly approximating how to measure the performance of agrifood cooperatives is critical to understanding their success and evolution and, significantly, whether they benefit from innovations in property rights and governance.
{"title":"Unraveling agricultural cooperatives’ performance measurement: a literature review","authors":"Irene Martínez-López, Marta Fernández-Barcala, Manuel González-Díaz","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2023.0054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2023.0054","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Cooperatives are a widely prevalent organizational form in the agrifood sector that have been extensively examined in the literature. The primary objective of this literature review is to evaluate approaches taken in studying the performance of these organizations, with a specific focus on whether these analyses have duly recognized the multifaceted nature of cooperatives, characterized by having multiple objectives. Second, the review examines research comparing cooperatives with other types of organizations to ascertain whether, despite operating in the same markets, such analyses have acknowledged that these organizations pursue vastly different objectives. Finally, this literature review also ascertains whether studies have considered the influence of organizational innovations (e.g. allowing capitalist investors or share transferability) on cooperatives’ performance. Correctly approximating how to measure the performance of agrifood cooperatives is critical to understanding their success and evolution and, significantly, whether they benefit from innovations in property rights and governance.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135142032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pulkeria Pascoe, Marcia Dutra de Barcellos, Hans De Steur, Joachim Schouteten, Hawa P. Tundui, Xavier Gellynck
Abstract Building upon resource-based view ( RBV ) theory, this cross-sectional study employed binary logistic regression to examine the influence of firm-level factors on the performance of 435 Tanzanian micro and small agri-food processing firms. The results of the study show that intangible resources, age (enterprise, manager), and management practices (target setting, working capital management, and performance monitoring) have a significant influence on firm performance. Firm size, tangible resources, and managers’ education level were not significant predictors of firm performance. The findings confirmed the RBV argument that intangible resources contribute more to the variation in firm performance compared to tangible resources. This study adds to the limited research on the combined effect of firm-specific characteristics, firm resources, managerial characteristics, and selected management practices on the performance of micro and small firms in emerging economies. The findings will help managers to identify success factors that are significant for better performance and will support policymakers to design strategies that can effectively contribute to the development of micro and small enterprises in the agri-food subsector.
{"title":"The influence of internal factors on micro and small enterprises performance: evidence from Tanzanian agri-food processors","authors":"Pulkeria Pascoe, Marcia Dutra de Barcellos, Hans De Steur, Joachim Schouteten, Hawa P. Tundui, Xavier Gellynck","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2023.0035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2023.0035","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Building upon resource-based view ( RBV ) theory, this cross-sectional study employed binary logistic regression to examine the influence of firm-level factors on the performance of 435 Tanzanian micro and small agri-food processing firms. The results of the study show that intangible resources, age (enterprise, manager), and management practices (target setting, working capital management, and performance monitoring) have a significant influence on firm performance. Firm size, tangible resources, and managers’ education level were not significant predictors of firm performance. The findings confirmed the RBV argument that intangible resources contribute more to the variation in firm performance compared to tangible resources. This study adds to the limited research on the combined effect of firm-specific characteristics, firm resources, managerial characteristics, and selected management practices on the performance of micro and small firms in emerging economies. The findings will help managers to identify success factors that are significant for better performance and will support policymakers to design strategies that can effectively contribute to the development of micro and small enterprises in the agri-food subsector.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135141644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The present study explored the associations among the core resources, strategic alliances, and business strategies of the Taiwanese controlled-environment mushroom industry. A total of 492 responses were collected, and the results support the hypothesised alliance-mediating model. The results indicate that core resources comprise four dimensions: organisational capabilities, individual capabilities, tangible assets, and intangible assets. The mushroom industry has two major types of strategic alliance, namely cost reduction and strengthening professional alliances, and the business strategies employed in the industry involve international market entry and focusing on domestic market operations. The results indicate that international market entry is directly influenced by cost reduction alliances and tangible assets, and indirectly influenced by organisational and individual capabilities. Whether an organisation focuses on its domestic market operations is directly affected by organisational capabilities, cost reduction alliances and intangible assets, and indirectly affected by organisational and individual capabilities.
{"title":"Optimising the power of core resources used in Taiwanese controlled-environment mushroom industry business strategies through strategic alliances","authors":"Ching Yin Ip, Shu-Mei Wang, Wen-Hsien Huang, Chaoyun Liang","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2022.0109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2022.0109","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The present study explored the associations among the core resources, strategic alliances, and business strategies of the Taiwanese controlled-environment mushroom industry. A total of 492 responses were collected, and the results support the hypothesised alliance-mediating model. The results indicate that core resources comprise four dimensions: organisational capabilities, individual capabilities, tangible assets, and intangible assets. The mushroom industry has two major types of strategic alliance, namely cost reduction and strengthening professional alliances, and the business strategies employed in the industry involve international market entry and focusing on domestic market operations. The results indicate that international market entry is directly influenced by cost reduction alliances and tangible assets, and indirectly influenced by organisational and individual capabilities. Whether an organisation focuses on its domestic market operations is directly affected by organisational capabilities, cost reduction alliances and intangible assets, and indirectly affected by organisational and individual capabilities.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135680071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract In this paper, we introduced the historical process and internal logic of China’s rural land system reform and analyzed the successful experience of land reform in Dongling village. The results show that the long-term stability of land contracting right makes the ownership be virtualized, and the legalization of the land transfer lays the foundation for the diversification of the rural management subjects. The clear property rights enable them to allocate labour and capital freely, obtain economic benefits and then promote the development of rural industries. Land moderate-scale management is a dynamic and differentiated concept. All management subjects can achieve their ideal moderate scale of operation through land circulation. The experience of Dongling village shows that the land transfer should rely on the industry, and the key to the success or failure of the reform is that the industry should be sustainable, the distribution should be reasonable, the management should be scientific, and the supervision should be adequate. Of course, for developing countries, we need to formulate reform plans based on the differences in resource endowment instead of pursuing “fixed models” and “one-size-fits-all policy”.
{"title":"China’s Land Reform and Rural Innovation: A Case Study","authors":"Xiandong Li, Xianmei Li, Yuanlin Liao, Qiao Mi, Guoxin Yu","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2020.0021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2020.0021","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In this paper, we introduced the historical process and internal logic of China’s rural land system reform and analyzed the successful experience of land reform in Dongling village. The results show that the long-term stability of land contracting right makes the ownership be virtualized, and the legalization of the land transfer lays the foundation for the diversification of the rural management subjects. The clear property rights enable them to allocate labour and capital freely, obtain economic benefits and then promote the development of rural industries. Land moderate-scale management is a dynamic and differentiated concept. All management subjects can achieve their ideal moderate scale of operation through land circulation. The experience of Dongling village shows that the land transfer should rely on the industry, and the key to the success or failure of the reform is that the industry should be sustainable, the distribution should be reasonable, the management should be scientific, and the supervision should be adequate. Of course, for developing countries, we need to formulate reform plans based on the differences in resource endowment instead of pursuing “fixed models” and “one-size-fits-all policy”.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135166203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The present paper explores how implementation of digital technologies (DTs) assists firms in transition economies in addressing weaknesses of the institutional environment surrounding them, in particular via establishment of collective governance systems. Based on case studies of three large-scale agroholdings operating in Ukraine, the paper aims to fill the research gaps with regard to the following: motivation of the firm to initiate DT-enabled collective governance systems; the rules these systems are based on; and the reasons behind the firm’s choice of a particular governance mode – closed, shared or open – for these systems. The findings generally support the institutional theory argument that complex technology enables coordination of exchange relationships not only within but also outside firm boundaries. At that, the choice of a governance mode between closed, shared or open institutional infrastructure is likely to depend on the firm’s ownership concentration, corporate transparency, availability of resources and social embeddedness.
{"title":"Digital technologies as a driver of resilience and institutional transformation: The case of Ukrainian agroholdings","authors":"Taras Gagalyuk, Maryna Kovalova","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2022.0071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2022.0071","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The present paper explores how implementation of digital technologies (DTs) assists firms in transition economies in addressing weaknesses of the institutional environment surrounding them, in particular via establishment of collective governance systems. Based on case studies of three large-scale agroholdings operating in Ukraine, the paper aims to fill the research gaps with regard to the following: motivation of the firm to initiate DT-enabled collective governance systems; the rules these systems are based on; and the reasons behind the firm’s choice of a particular governance mode – closed, shared or open – for these systems. The findings generally support the institutional theory argument that complex technology enables coordination of exchange relationships not only within but also outside firm boundaries. At that, the choice of a governance mode between closed, shared or open institutional infrastructure is likely to depend on the firm’s ownership concentration, corporate transparency, availability of resources and social embeddedness.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135617970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
There are few challenges greater than the puzzle of how to move perishable goods from smallholders’ fields to final consumers, particularly where transportation barriers abound. Industrial processing can relax the perishability constraint and improve smallholders’ options. In Iringa, Tanzania, multiple tomato processing establishments and traditional marketing agents are available for farmers to use. Information about the channels is expected to be vital for producers to choose optimally. In this study, we collected field data from 286 smallholder farmers and analyzed their market channel choice using the random utility model implemented with multinomial logit regression. Revenue performance was further evaluated. Our results confirm that access to market information and extension services were associated with higher farm revenue. Women farmers had more concerns than men about lacking information. Market participation differed by size of the business. Farmers with higher harvested quantity were more likely to choose industrial processing. Producers with small farms preferred full marketing service and mid-size farms chose wholesale markets. Agribusiness management scholars may follow similar research design with future attention paid to elicitation of producers’ information about the marketing channels.
{"title":"Multi-level marketing system with industrial food processing in Africa: smallholder tomato farmers in Tanzania","authors":"Nasibu Yusuph Mwinyiheria, Victoria Salin, Yu Yvette Zhang, Benxi Lin, Chileshe Chewee","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2022.0152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2022.0152","url":null,"abstract":"There are few challenges greater than the puzzle of how to move perishable goods from smallholders’ fields to final consumers, particularly where transportation barriers abound. Industrial processing can relax the perishability constraint and improve smallholders’ options. In Iringa, Tanzania, multiple tomato processing establishments and traditional marketing agents are available for farmers to use. Information about the channels is expected to be vital for producers to choose optimally. In this study, we collected field data from 286 smallholder farmers and analyzed their market channel choice using the random utility model implemented with multinomial logit regression. Revenue performance was further evaluated. Our results confirm that access to market information and extension services were associated with higher farm revenue. Women farmers had more concerns than men about lacking information. Market participation differed by size of the business. Farmers with higher harvested quantity were more likely to choose industrial processing. Producers with small farms preferred full marketing service and mid-size farms chose wholesale markets. Agribusiness management scholars may follow similar research design with future attention paid to elicitation of producers’ information about the marketing channels.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135780529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tryphina Dube-Takaza, Blessing M Maumbe, Cosmas Parwada
Abstract Food security is a perennial concern in natural regions IV and V of Zimbabwe, that receive low rainfall per annum. Improved small grain varieties and conservation agriculture practices provide a promise for bumper harvests in these dry regions. This study focused on four districts (Binga, Chiredzi, Hwange and Matobo) from these two regions to determine patterns for improved small grain varieties and conservation agriculture technology adoption by smallholder small grain farmers. Data were collected from 281 respondents using structured questionnaires and interviews. The statistical package Stata (version 16) was used to analyse data. Logit and multinomial models were used to compare non-adopters and adopters of technologies in order to show the rationale for adoption. Results indicated that 56% of the sample were non-adopters while 44% were adopters. Adoption patterns varied with location, education, land size, marital status, frequency of extension visits and access to credit. The study recommends increased funding to research institutions that develop high-yield small grain varieties. Comparative studies are recommended in other semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe to support the study findings in informing future policy.
{"title":"Agricultural technology adoption for smallholder small grain farmers in Zimbabwe. Implications for food system transformation and sustainability","authors":"Tryphina Dube-Takaza, Blessing M Maumbe, Cosmas Parwada","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2022.0114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2022.0114","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Food security is a perennial concern in natural regions IV and V of Zimbabwe, that receive low rainfall per annum. Improved small grain varieties and conservation agriculture practices provide a promise for bumper harvests in these dry regions. This study focused on four districts (Binga, Chiredzi, Hwange and Matobo) from these two regions to determine patterns for improved small grain varieties and conservation agriculture technology adoption by smallholder small grain farmers. Data were collected from 281 respondents using structured questionnaires and interviews. The statistical package Stata (version 16) was used to analyse data. Logit and multinomial models were used to compare non-adopters and adopters of technologies in order to show the rationale for adoption. Results indicated that 56% of the sample were non-adopters while 44% were adopters. Adoption patterns varied with location, education, land size, marital status, frequency of extension visits and access to credit. The study recommends increased funding to research institutions that develop high-yield small grain varieties. Comparative studies are recommended in other semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe to support the study findings in informing future policy.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135146500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Craig Johns, Wendy Umberger, Rio Maligalig, Pamela Lyon
Abstract Ethical consumerism is one of this century’s retail success stories and has continued to grow despite the global pandemic and economic contraction. Consumers worldwide are increasingly putting their money where their values are in purchases of food and drink, clothing, housing, and financial and other services. Understanding these consumers is key to competing successfully in markets for ethically sourced products and presents opportunities for reducing poverty in developing countries where food and agricultural production is the dominant economic activity, such as small island developing states (SIDS) in the Pacific. While ethical consumerism is an expanding research field, findings rarely are analysed in detail for market development. Rarer still is segmentation in terms of product attributes aimed explicitly at poverty reduction in slow-growth, emerging economies like those of the Pacific. Here we report a latent class cluster analysis of survey responses by ethically conscious Australian consumers ( n = 637) associated with Oxfam, the development charity. Four distinct consumer segments were identified with implications for Pacific producers. Product origin and ‘the story behind the product’ were particularly important to these consumers. The findings provide practical insights to agricultural stakeholders in the Pacific and those similarly situated around the globe that are in need of new economic opportunities.
{"title":"Australian ethical consumer segmentation of food and agricultural products and export opportunities for the Pacific Islands","authors":"Craig Johns, Wendy Umberger, Rio Maligalig, Pamela Lyon","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2023.0009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2023.0009","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Ethical consumerism is one of this century’s retail success stories and has continued to grow despite the global pandemic and economic contraction. Consumers worldwide are increasingly putting their money where their values are in purchases of food and drink, clothing, housing, and financial and other services. Understanding these consumers is key to competing successfully in markets for ethically sourced products and presents opportunities for reducing poverty in developing countries where food and agricultural production is the dominant economic activity, such as small island developing states (SIDS) in the Pacific. While ethical consumerism is an expanding research field, findings rarely are analysed in detail for market development. Rarer still is segmentation in terms of product attributes aimed explicitly at poverty reduction in slow-growth, emerging economies like those of the Pacific. Here we report a latent class cluster analysis of survey responses by ethically conscious Australian consumers ( n = 637) associated with Oxfam, the development charity. Four distinct consumer segments were identified with implications for Pacific producers. Product origin and ‘the story behind the product’ were particularly important to these consumers. The findings provide practical insights to agricultural stakeholders in the Pacific and those similarly situated around the globe that are in need of new economic opportunities.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136282857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Li Zhao, Jiajun Huang, Haiying Gu, Chengyan Yue, Uma Parasuram, David Ahlstrom
Abstract Technology in food production is constantly evolving and advancing, and the emerging genetically modified (GM) technology is making a significant contribution to solving the world’s food problems. However, sporadic food safety incidents and negative media coverage have caused Chinese consumers to remain apprehensive about the safety of food and GM technology, even to the extent that they are reluctant to buy vegetables in unusual shapes because they believe the vegetables are produced by GM technology. This paper examines this negative association with GM food. The results show that when seeing an abnormally shaped vegetable, consumers perceive that the vegetable is likely to be genetically modified, thus increasing their perceived risk. In order to estimate the mediation effect, we adopted the causal step approach using an ordered probit model. To investigate consumers’ preferences for attributes of vegetables, we employed a choice experiment, stochastic parametric logit models and latent class logit models. Apart from price, consumers place the highest importance on appearance attributes, followed by traceability attributes, and then safety certification attributes. There is also heterogeneity in consumer preferences. Consumers’ characteristics such as age, marital status and family size influence their preferences. The findings of this paper suggest that traceability labelling and safety certification labelling can be useful in addressing information asymmetry in food safety and can increase consumer utility and improve their trust in the safety of the food they buy.
{"title":"Consumers’ risk perception and willingness to pay for abnormally shaped vegetables in China","authors":"Li Zhao, Jiajun Huang, Haiying Gu, Chengyan Yue, Uma Parasuram, David Ahlstrom","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2022.0068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2022.0068","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Technology in food production is constantly evolving and advancing, and the emerging genetically modified (GM) technology is making a significant contribution to solving the world’s food problems. However, sporadic food safety incidents and negative media coverage have caused Chinese consumers to remain apprehensive about the safety of food and GM technology, even to the extent that they are reluctant to buy vegetables in unusual shapes because they believe the vegetables are produced by GM technology. This paper examines this negative association with GM food. The results show that when seeing an abnormally shaped vegetable, consumers perceive that the vegetable is likely to be genetically modified, thus increasing their perceived risk. In order to estimate the mediation effect, we adopted the causal step approach using an ordered probit model. To investigate consumers’ preferences for attributes of vegetables, we employed a choice experiment, stochastic parametric logit models and latent class logit models. Apart from price, consumers place the highest importance on appearance attributes, followed by traceability attributes, and then safety certification attributes. There is also heterogeneity in consumer preferences. Consumers’ characteristics such as age, marital status and family size influence their preferences. The findings of this paper suggest that traceability labelling and safety certification labelling can be useful in addressing information asymmetry in food safety and can increase consumer utility and improve their trust in the safety of the food they buy.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135396945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract The growing complexity of value chains leads to an increasing distance between consumers and producers. In anonymized markets, product labels are used to decrease the information asymmetry between producers and consumers, as they replace any form of direct communication. In the context of animal husbandry, we reveal how the distance between consumers and producers is related to consumers’ perceptions of animal welfare and elaborate on the role of knowledge, information, and product labels. A quantitative online survey on consumers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards animal welfare (AW) was carried out in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. Data was analyzed using principal component and cluster analysis, yielding four consumer segments, namely the pragmatists, the AW unconcerned, the indifferent, and the AW concerned. The results indicate that the more contact consumers have with producers/farmers, the higher is consumers’ subjective knowledge of animal husbandry systems and the lower is the need for additional information on animal welfare through a label. Further research is needed to investigate the relation between subjective and objective knowledge, animal welfare concern, and consumers’ alienation from food production places and practices.
{"title":"Consumers’ perceptions of animal husbandry practices and their heterogeneous needs for information – insights from a cross-country cluster analysis","authors":"Corinna Hempel, Megan Waldrop, Jutta Roosen","doi":"10.22434/ifamr2022.0139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22434/ifamr2022.0139","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The growing complexity of value chains leads to an increasing distance between consumers and producers. In anonymized markets, product labels are used to decrease the information asymmetry between producers and consumers, as they replace any form of direct communication. In the context of animal husbandry, we reveal how the distance between consumers and producers is related to consumers’ perceptions of animal welfare and elaborate on the role of knowledge, information, and product labels. A quantitative online survey on consumers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards animal welfare (AW) was carried out in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. Data was analyzed using principal component and cluster analysis, yielding four consumer segments, namely the pragmatists, the AW unconcerned, the indifferent, and the AW concerned. The results indicate that the more contact consumers have with producers/farmers, the higher is consumers’ subjective knowledge of animal husbandry systems and the lower is the need for additional information on animal welfare through a label. Further research is needed to investigate the relation between subjective and objective knowledge, animal welfare concern, and consumers’ alienation from food production places and practices.","PeriodicalId":101231,"journal":{"name":"The International Food and Agribusiness Management Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135602121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}