Understanding the Environmental and Personal Health Motivations of Consumers Purchasing Sustainable Agricultural Products at Romanian Farmers’ Markets

Abstract

This paper examines the environmental and personal health reasons why consumers shop at farmers’ markets in Romania. Understanding the personal health motivations for shopping at the farmers’ markets will help policymakers develop environmental and economic strategies. The environment-economic-personal health connection is vital to improving the overall health in Romania. Multinomial logit models were used and the results showed that consumers do not experience a positive change in their belief that farmers’ markets promoted a healthy environment, that consumers shop at farmers’ markets to reduce their health risks, and that consumers understand the link between food and personal health, but do not recognize the connection between the environment and their personal health. The research presented in this paper fills a gap in the literature by using primary data from surveys of consumers at farmers’ market throughout Romania to understand the environmental and personal health motivations for their purchases.