Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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consumer demand for organic foods as well as increasing farmer interest
in producing organically, which is stimulated by government support. Or-
ganic farming must “fulfill the expectation of each of these stakeholders if
organic livestock production is to increase further” (3). Further, consumer
interest in organic livestock is based on concerns about personal health, the
environment, and animal welfare. Hermansen's article is one of several in
an issue of
Livestock Production Science
(vol. 80, 2003) that focus on organic
systems.
Magnuson et al. (2003) investigated consumer choices in Sweden. A sur-
vey of 1,154 Swedes showed that “self-reported purchase of organic foods
was most strongly related to perceived benefit for human health” - both of
the individual and the family (109). In addition, consumers with environ-
mentally friendly behavior were more likely to purchase organic products.
A comprehensive study of both consumers and producers was under-
taken in Norway (Storstad and Bjørkhaug 2003). In fact, four groups were
defined and analyzed: 912 conventional consumers, 55 organic consumers,
439 organic farmers, and 383 conventional farmers. Overall, organic con-
sumers and organic farmers had similar opinions regarding the environ-
mental problems from agriculture, while conventional consumers have
moderate views, and conventional farmers have the least criticismof agricul-
ture's impacts. Storstad andBjørkhaug also discuss how consumersmight be
motivated by broader distrust in technological fixes to social and ecological
problems.
Researchers in Greece used certain interviewing techniques to construct
“means-end chains” that describe consumers' behavior (Fotopoulos et al.
2003). Their focus was consumers' reasons for purchasing wine produced
from organic grapes, but their research approach could be used in many
contexts. They found deeper reasoning and motivations behind organic
purchases, and the issue of quality came through loud and clear. Organic
shoppers were influenced by several notions in combination: quality, seal
of approval, country of origin, and pleasure. So linking these concepts may
benefit future marketing of organic foods.
Complex factors influence people's motivations for eating organic food
(Lockie et al. 2002). In Australia, both focus groups (thirteen groups of
approximately ten people each) and a broad telephone survey of twelve hun-
dred people were used to investigate whether people ate organic food and
the reasons for their choices. First, the focus groups yielded more strongly
opinionated responses, which is often the case since more vocal people
tend to dominate focus groups and often sway the discussion. These groups
offered more negative views of organics, from higher cost to distrust of
[72],
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