Consumers' Perception of Food and Agriculture Education in Farmers' Markets in Taiwan.

Chun-Chieh Ma,Hsiao-Ping Chang

doi:10.3390/foods11050630

Abstract

Following the trend of green product consumption, farmers’ markets sell green products and have gradually developed the promotion of environmentally friendly knowledge of food and agricultural education. However, past research on farmers’ markets has rarely been combined with the function of food and agricultural education. Therefore, this study explores the relationship between product knowledge, green perceived value, and purchase intention from the perspective of farmers’ market food and agricultural education. Furthermore, research and investigation were conducted with trust and local attachment as multiplicative adjustment variables. This study adopted structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the structural relationship among local attachment, product knowledge, green perceived value, purchase intention, and model fit. We distributed 396 surveys at three large farmers’ markets in Taiwan, of which 88.6% were used in this study. The research results showed that product knowledge and green perceived value had a significant positive impact on purchase intention; trust positively affected product knowledge and purchase intention; the multiplication of local attachment and trust also positively impacted product knowledge and purchase intention. Based on the research results of this study, it is suggested that while transferring knowledge, the farmers’ markets can incorporate trust and emotional relationships, which will serve as stimulating factors that can increase consumers’ purchase intentions. Although the findings are local to Taiwan, its characteristics are typical of food and agricultural education, as well as farmers’ markets worldwide, especially in Asia.

Highlights

In the modern age, when health awareness is rapidly increasing, the issues of environmentally friendly land, healthy eating, and food safety are getting more and more attention than ever
Based on the above problems, the quality and safety of agricultural products have gradually become the public’s primary concern [3], which highlights the importance of food and agricultural education [4]
According to the analysis of this study, the results showed that trust had a moderating effect between product knowledge and purchase intention, that is, when consumers had a higher sense of trust in farmers at the farmers’ market, it would strengthen the relationship between product knowledge and purchase intention

Summary

Introduction

In the modern age, when health awareness is rapidly increasing, the issues of environmentally friendly land, healthy eating, and food safety are getting more and more attention than ever. The rise of planting methods that are more environmentally friendly, with the increase in food materials, have led the public to pursue production methods that are more environmentally friendly, and food materials [3], and the green agricultural products they produce, have indirectly promoted the development of the farmer’s market [1]. Farmers’ markets take sustainability a step further. They ensure that farmers can earn a living off sustainably grown food while providing an outlet where communities can find and purchase their products. Behind the rows of produce, busy vendors, and eager customers, farmers’ markets are a bustling hub of sustainability [5], and there would exist additional ‘value’ that can ‘green add’ to the functionality of green farmers’ markets in four dimensions: physical functionality, economic functionality, intangible functionality, and emotional functionality

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion