Abstract
Abstract The biological and environmental nature of the agricultural production implies that growers operate in an environment of greater risk as compared to other economic activities. This has implications on the manner in which the growers can manage the risks inherent to their activity, which depends on how they perceive the risks and on the degree of aversion to risk. The main objective of this study was to learn about the perception of the main sources of risk that blueberry growers face in the Maule Region, Chile. This Region has about 25% of the planted area of this species in Chile. We used information from questionnaires implemented in 124 fields which considered two independent groups of growers: 48 owners and 76 managers. A scale of Importance of the Sources of Risk (ISR) was used. It included 13 items that the interviewed had to rank according to their importance through a Likert-type scale of four levels. The exploratory analysis allowed to infer that the ISR scale had adequate levels of internal consistency (Cronbach´s alpha = 0.83). The results showed that the climatic events are perceived by the growers as the main source of risk for blueberry production in Chile. The analysis also showed that the price of the product and the currency exchange rate are the next risks in importance for the field owners. On the other hand, the risks for the managers were, in decreasing order of importance: yield, product price, variability in sales, and volumes for sale. The knowledge of the perception of risk by the growers is a fundamental input for designing instruments of agricultural policies, risk management and support programs for the growers.
Highlights
In the last years blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) have increased they area planted worldwide as a consequence of the expansion in consumption due to the benefits for human health (RETAMALES; HANCOCK, 2012)
The area planted with blueberries in Chile reaches 15,998 ha (ODEPA-CIREN, 2016), which represents nearly 20% of the area planted in the world
The main objective of the Chilean blueberry industry is to reach the markets with high quality fresh fruit, it is expected to continue the expansion of frozen blueberries to markets such as USA, South Korea, Australia and Canada
Summary
In the last years blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) have increased they area planted worldwide as a consequence of the expansion in consumption due to the benefits for human health (RETAMALES; HANCOCK, 2012). The area planted with blueberries in Chile reaches 15,998 ha (ODEPA-CIREN, 2016), which represents nearly 20% of the area planted in the world. Chile ranks second behind USA on a worldwide basis as blueberry producing country. The Maule (Lat. 34° 31 ́ to 36° 33 ́ S) and BioBio (36° 33 ́ to 38° 30 ́ S) regions are the main blueberry producing ones in the country. The area planted with blueberries in both regions increased 2.4 fold between 2007 and 2012 (CIREN, 2014). According to MENA (2013), in the Maule Region there are 185 blueberry growers that own 216 commercial fields, with a total planted area of 2,865 ha which represents nearly 25% of the national total for this crop (Figure 1)
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