Two-Way Perspectives and Attitudes about Environmentally Friendly Agro-Food Production and Consumption: An Empirical Survey for Greece

Abstract

Relying on pesticides to safeguard crops has led to pest resistance and detrimental environmental and health consequences. Many integrated pest management programs focus on producers’ decision-making processes when selecting and implementing pest management interventions. Alternative approaches such as integrated pest management and biological control have been implemented to address these challenges, with Greece as the research area. A quantitative study was oriented to consumers and producers to investigate their views on the effectiveness of pesticides, aiming to assess whether these perspectives influence their attitudes toward adopting pest management practices. Primary data were gathered through structured questionnaires to consumers and producer associations (focusing on tomatoes, olives, and citrus fruits) and analyzed through multivariate methods. The findings unveiled varying preferences and concerns regarding plant protection tools, with considerations such as product effectiveness, method awareness, and sustainability. Specifically, the study revealed aspects like the popularity and demand for specific plant protection tools, the knowledge of these experts about products and pest control methods, and their stance on sustainable agriculture and environmental aspects of pest control.