Interest In Organic Products Research Articles

Organic Fertilizer in Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Production: SWOT Analysis and Strategies

Medicinal and aromatic plants have been used for centuries for food, medicine, cosmetics, and spices. Due to increasing human and environmental health problems, interest in organic products is increasing day by day. The use of organic fertilizers not only improves crop quality but also improves soil and utilizes waste. The aim of the study is to conduct a SWOT analysis of the use of organic fertilizers in medicinal and aromatic plant production and to identify strategies. The SWOT analysis showed that strengths and opportunities outnumbered weaknesses and threats. Strategies (SO, ST, SW, WO, WT, WT, OT) were identified. Weaknesses and threats can be reduced by government incentives and training. The most notable weakness is that the use of organic fertilizers leads to low yields. Someone who aims to produce not only yield-based but also quality-based products should use organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizer produces healthy, quality crops, improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil and, if produced from organic waste, reduces environmental pollution and the amount of waste to be managed. The state should further promote the use of organic fertilizer to protect human and environmental health and to increase domestic/foreign markets. Producers should be trained in the effective production and use of organic fertilizer.

Comparative analysis of the purchasing behaviour of young consumers in Poland and Belarus on the organic food market

ObjectivesThe organic food market is growing rapidly. More and more consumers are becoming aware of the impact of the food production methods used on health and the environment, which translates into a dynamically growing interest in organic products. The main aim of this publication is to present, analyse and evaluate the behaviour of buyers in the organic market during the process of selection and purchase of products.Material and methodsThe research was conducted on a group of 566 respondents, including 330 young buyers coming from Poland and 236 from Belarus. A purposive selection method was used in the research. The research was comparative and enabled the identification and analysis of differences in the market behaviour of individual groups of buyers coming from Poland and Belarus. The buyers' behaviours were studied and analysed in relation to the decision-making process concerning the purchase of organic products, taking into account: product selection criteria and the place and frequency of purchase in different types of retail unitsResultsOn the basis of the research and analysis carried out, it can be observed that there are differences in the purchasing behaviour of buyers from Poland and Belarus. These are due, among other things, to differences in consumer awareness and perception of the benefits of consuming organic products. Factors related to the availability of organic food in organisational as well as economic terms are also important.ConclusionsThe obtained results and analyzes may contribute to understanding consumer behavior on the organic food market and be used for further in-depth research or help shape market strategies by sellers.

Importance of natural conditions in Poland in the operation of fully organic farms and those with co-existing conventional production

Abstract This study addresses the issue of assessing the functioning of farms in areas with diverse natural farming conditions by evaluating them using the latest version of the Agricultural Production Area Valorization (APAV) index. Analyses were performed on three types of farms: fully organic farms, organic farms with co-existing conventional production, and conventional-production farms. To achieve the research objective, 259 communes were selected depending on the level of their APAV. Assessments were made of their production potential, production organization, production and economic results in communes with average APAVs below, equal to, and higher than the national average (66.6 points) based on data from farms continuously keeping accounts for the Polish farm accountancy data network (FADN) in between 2019–2021. The Shannon-Wiener index (S-W index) was used to measure the degree of diversity of crop species in the farms’ sown crops, and determine what proportion of those were structure-forming plants. This research demonstrates that in order for interest in organic production to develop under current conditions, there must be sufficient financial support for agricultural producers, especially in areas with more difficult farming conditions.

Совершенствование маркетинговой деятельности как основа развития стратегического потенциала рынка органической продукции

The improvement of marketing activities in the market of organic products in the current conditions is undoubtedly a significant aspect of its development, contributing to the formation of new market approaches to doing business. At present, organic products and agricultural products are interchangeable concepts for most consumers, which in turn indicates the lack of formed constants of consumer perception of the term “organic products” and is a significant obstacle to the development of demand in this segment. On the other hand, it is strategically important to study the needs of consumers as an important stage in the formation of the range of products offered on the market with high added value and, as a consequence, the basis for the development of a competitive segment of organic products. All this implies the search for new marketing approaches and strategic solutions to achieve the the desired objectives. The purpose of this study is to search for relevant trends in the formation and development of the organic market in order to improve marketing activities based on the synergy of conceptual approaches in marketing that allow for responsible consumption and sustained interest in organic products. The main objectives of the study are to determine the basic principles of the development of the organic market, to create a system of marketing indicators for research and evaluation of the development potential of the studied market, and to identify the main trends in the development of marketing activities. The results of the work made it possible to formulate approaches to the research and evaluation of the marketing potential of the market, as well as to formulate recommendations for the creation of an information system as a basis for the strategic development of the entire organic market as a whole.

Tržište organskih proizvoda i stavovi potrošača o organskim proizvodima

The development of the market for organic products has been recorded in many countries. The organic products market segment in the specific environment of the Republic of Serbia is gradually developing. In times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the interest in organic products increased. Expressed health concern has been perceived as one of the most important reasons for buying organic food. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the development of the organic products market and consumer attitudes towards organic products, as well as the factors that influence their behaviour, which should be taken into account when creating an adequate promotional strategy for this specific market.

Profile of organic food consumers in Bulgaria

Introduction : The growing interest in organic products raises the question of who buys organic foods. The existing literature reveals the role of some sociodemographic factors (age, income). Aim: The aim of this article is to study the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of organic food consumers. Materials and Methods : From November 2020–April 2021, 150 consumers from Dobrich district were interviewed about their awareness and attitude to buy organic foods. The results of the study were statistically processed using Jamovi, version 2.2.5. The criterion χ 2 (Pearson's Chi-square) was used, with significance levels α = 0.05 and α = 0.1. Results : The largest relative share of regular consumers is that of individuals buying organic foods once a week. The analysis of the data shows that the relative share of women in the sample predominates. A statistically significant difference was found in nine of the tested hypotheses about the differences between men and women. The data show that more often women are the ones who buy food products, incl. organic foods. Conclusion : The profile of the consumers of organic foods is related to gender. The growing trend towards the consumption of organic food in the world, including in Bulgaria, is due to the potential health benefits, to which mostly women have an attitude.

Neocosmospora rubicola, a stem rot disease in potato: Characterization, distribution and management.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important crops in maintaining global food security. Plant stand and yield are affected by production technology, climate, soil type, and biotic factors such as insects and diseases. Numerous fungal diseases including Neocosmospora rubicola, causing stem rot, are known to have negative effects on potato growth and yield quality. The pathogen is known to stunt growth and cause leaf yellowing with grayish-black stems. The infectivity of N. rubicola across a number of crops indicates the need to search for appropriate management approaches. Synthetic pesticides application is a major method to mitigate almost all potato diseases at this time. However, these pesticides significantly contribute to environmental damage and continuous use leads to pesticide resistance by pathogens. Consumers interest in organic products have influenced agronomists to shift toward the use of biologicals in controlling most pathogens, including N. rubicola. This review is an initial effort to carefully examine current and alternative approaches to control N. rubicola that are both environmentally safe and ecologically sound. Therefore, this review aims to draw attention to the N. rubicola distribution and symptomatology, and sustainable management strategies for potato stem rot disease. Applications of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) as bioformulations with synthetic fertilizers have the potential to increase the tuber yield in both healthy and N. rubicola infested soils. Phosphorus and nitrogen applications along with the PGPB can improve plants uptake efficiency and reduce infestation of pathogen leading to increased yield. Therefore, to control N. rubicola infestation, with maximum tuber yield benefits, a pre-application of the biofertilizer is shown as a better option, based on the most recent studies. With the current limited information on the disease, precise screening of the available resistant potato cultivars, developing molecular markers for resistance genes against N. rubicola will assist to reduce spread and virulence of the pathogen.

Consumers of Organic Products in the Circular Economy

Purpose: To identify drivers and barriers perceived by consumers of organic products regarding their actions supporting circularity. Theoretical framework: Circular Economy (CE) is seen as solution for food crisis and environmental pollution. It also contributes to growing awareness of social responsibility and sustainability, which increases the interest in organic products. Method/design/approach: Qualitatively, twelve consumers of organic products were interviewed through in-depth online interviews. Results and conclusion: Consumers identified several drivers that encourage them to be part of CE, such as less packaging at farmer’s markets, the opportunity to compost at home, and government policies that support waste sorting for recycling. However, the failure of suppliers to provide initiatives to reuse packaging, bags and to return glass containers, the restrictions on home composting, lack of room to separate and dispose of recyclable waste efficiently, not used to reusing vegetable waste, and not used to returning packaging to suppliers, were identified as barriers to CE. Research implications: This study contributes to the development of CE, promotion of sustainability and establishment of CE as an element of organic production. Originality/value: Studies address CE with focus on the industry. Contemplate the importance of the consumer for the development of circularity, this study advances with a look at the consumer, foment to the comprehensive, until then not investigated, of the perception of consumers of organic products regarding their actions supporting circularity.

Liquid Organic Fertilizer Development Strategy Based Coffee Leather and Raw Materials to Increase Revenue Local Coffee Robusta Farmers

Coffee husk waste ranges from 40-45% of wet coffee. In addition, the Coffee leather content is still quite good, namely 10.4% crude protein, 17.2% crude fiber. Liquid fertilizer from red cherry coffee pods with a mixture of local raw materials can be used as liquid organic fertilizer to increase coffee production. The objectives of this study were (1) to describe community empowerment in utilizing coffee husk waste and local raw materials available in the village as raw material for liquid fertilizer, (2) to describe the strategy for developing liquid fertilizer from the coffee rind and local raw materials to increase coffee production. robusta in the village of Tribudisyukur, West Lampung. The method used in this study is a qualitative approach with data collection from the literature, observations, interviews and documentation, and SWOT analysis. The results of this study indicate that the people of Tribudisyukur village can use coffee rind waste and local raw materials as liquid fertilizers for coffee cultivation and horticultural crops. Based on the results of the analysis on the SWOT matrix, the recommendation that must be given is the “Progressive” strategy. Alternative strategies for developing liquid organic fertilizers that can be applied are (1) Utilizing quality raw material products (perfectly ripe) as a potential market share which is still widely supported by increasing public interest in organic products and creating new jobs due to the wider market. (2) Cultivating plants that have the potential for fruit rich in nutrients for the availability of nutrients and ecosystem sustainability and to streamline the cost of coffee cultivation.

Effect of self-reported attitudes toward organic foods in consumer preferences and willingness to pay

AbstractAlthough consumers' interest in organic products has increased in recent years, the total demand for these products is still small in most countries. This mismatch between the positive perception of these products and their limited final demand is the so-called intention-behavior gap. The aim of this study is twofold. The first aim is to evaluate the effect of self-reported attitudes toward organic foods in the willingness to pay (WTP) for these products. Second, we analyze the effects of these self-reported attitudes in the final purchasing decision when consumers are asked to evaluate several food attributes simultaneously. The results show that self-reported attitudes toward organic products are useful predictors of higher WTP and can be arranged in different categories (range 15.2–20.1%). However, when a conjoint analysis of different food attributes was conducted, the segment of pro-organic consumers reported that the origin of the product was more important for them than the production system. This opens a new debate about the advisability of promoting the joint use of both labels (organic and origin labels) to engage pro-organic consumers.

The Temporal and Spatial Variation of Arthropod Associations Inhabiting Non-Crop Vegetation in a Sisal Crop, Agave sisalana in the Caatinga Biome

Sisal, Agave sisalana Perrine, is cultivated for fiber production, with Brazil being its leading producer. Nowadays, given the increasing interest in organic products, the market for sisal could become an economical alternative for rural areas with low economic inputs. However, sisal is threatened by different pests and diseases. Conservation biological control could contribute to the limitation of these plant enemies, but this agroecosystem is poorly known. In this context, we aimed: (i) to identify the diversity of plants and arthropods and their potential relations, (ii) to study the spatial patterns of arthropods and plants in function of the proximity to the margin of the field, and (iii) to determine the minimum sampling effort needed to record the occurring biodiversity in a sisal crop. Arthropods were sampled using pit-fall traps located close to the border and in the inner plant of the sisal crop from June to September. Simultaneously, plant species and their abundance in quadrats next to each pitfall were recorded. Diversity indexes were calculated to describe the biodiversity, a redundancy analysis was performed to analyze relations among arthropods and plants and the spatial distribution was evaluated using the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The redundancy analysis and the Wilcoxon test revealed a temporal and spatial distribution of arthropods and plants during the period of study. Results indicated (i) similar temporal diversity patterns from June to July for both plants and arthropods, with a maximum in July, whereas in September the biodiversity increased for arthropods and decreased for plants; (ii) the importance of particular plant species for Collembola; and (iii) that arthropods seem to colonize the sisal crop from the fields beyond the crop during the rainy season. These results provide new information about arthropods and plant biodiversity from an agroecosystem in a semi-arid region and raise further queries about the management of sisal crops.

Consumers Willingness to Pay and Factors Affecting Organic Vegetable Purchasing Decisions

Along with the development of modern society, it is increasingly aware of a healthy lifestyle. This is indicated by the increasing interest in organic products. The research objective was to determine the characteristics of consumers, the value of willingness to pay and the factors that influence the value of willingness to pay consumers to buy organic vegetables in Malang with the hope of helping CV. Kurnia Kitri Ayu Farm. This study uses nonprobability sampling with accidental sampling method. The data that has been collected is then analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and Factor Test. Qualitative data is presented in graphs and tables. The results showed that the value of willingness to pay (Willingness To Pay) for organic vegetables for kale was IDR 5,870 per 200 grams, for green spinach IDR 5,925 per 200 grams, for caisim commodity IDR 6,000 per 200 grams, while the TWTP value was IDR . 158,500 for kale, Rp. 160,000 for green spinach, and Rp. 162,000 for caisim. The factors that influence willingness to pay are lifestyle factors with an eigenvalue of 3.776, quality factors with an eigenvalue of 2.195, habit factors with an eigenvalue of 1.762, a reference factor with an eigenvalue of 1.184, and comfort and trust factors with an eigenvalue of 1.036.

Microbiological Safety of Food of Animal Origin from Organic Farms.

The organic food sector and consumer interest in organic products are growing continuously. The safety and quality of such products must be at least equal to those of conventional equivalents, but attaining the same standards requires overcoming a particular problem identified in organic food production systems: the occurrence of bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and pathogenic Escherichia coli. These food-borne microorganisms were detected in the production environments of such food. The prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in organic livestock and products may be higher, but may also be the same as or lower than in like material from conventional farms. Furthermore, the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria was more often detected in conventional than in organic production. The aim of this review was to present the recent information on the microbiological safety of food of animal origin produced from raw materials from organic farms.

Exploring the Preferences of Consumers’ Organic Products in Aspects of Sustainable Consumption: The Case of the Polish Consumer

The dynamically developing trend of sustainable consumption is manifested, among others, by the growing interest in organic products on the part of consumers. The aim of this article was to identify the behavior of Polish consumers in the market of organic products and to establish a link between their environmental awareness and willingness to buy organic products. The authors hypothesized that there is a relationship between consumer awareness of the concept of sustainable consumption and the consumption of organic products. Consumer awareness means making conscious choices based on the knowledge expressed in the attitudes and, sometimes, preferences of the food brand. The research was conducted using a proprietary survey questionnaire. A total of 1067 respondents participated. A statistical analysis was performed by using Statistica 13.1 PL software, which includes descriptive statistics, the discriminant function analysis, and regression analysis. Motives were identified that are of crucial importance to the consumer deciding to purchase organic products. These include: beneficial health effects, contents of nutrients, no additional substances used in food production, taste, and others. A statistical relationship was established between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products. Among the organic products, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, cow’s milk and its derivatives, as well as cereal products, are the most preferred by consumers of both genders. The proposed model, which outlines the relationship between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products, includes the following variables: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, short shelf life.

DETERMINANTS AND DIRECTIONS OF THE TRANSITION FROM TRADITIONAL TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: THE BULGARIAN CASE

On the basis of a literature review, the directions for transition of agriculture from the productive to the post-productive model are presented. A methodological framework has been developed, including the directions of the transition and the indicators on which it can be assessed. On the basis of this implementation, the passage from quantity to production quality, to the sustainability of agriculture, to new business models based on multifunctionality are assessed. It turns out that the changes in Bulgarian agriculture cannot be assessed unambiguously. The transition to sustainability is accompanied by continued mechanization and digitization of technological processes. There is a simultaneous development of both the productive and the post-productive model of agriculture. Together with the increasing interest in organic production, the implementation of environmentally friendly practices and the implementation of ecosystem services, modernization based on computerization and chemisation continues.
 The results are part of scientific project DN 15/8 2017 Sustainable multifunctional rural areas: reconsidering agricultural models and systems with increased demands and limited resources funded by the Bulgarian research fund.

Organic Consumer Behavior- Special reference to cereal /cereal products in the southern part of Tamilnadu.

Consumers’ interest in organic products is increasing globally. As IFOAM 2016 report, only 1.2 % of the land has been utilized in organic agriculture method. The overall organic market has achieved 89.7 billion $ in 2016 in that, & 48.4 a billion in sales accounted for the USA and German alone. Total registered organic producer in the worldwide is 2.7 million in that India is the leading country which has 835,200 organic producers. But many of them are a small farmer, and they had shared 1.49 million hectares only. The Government of India (GOI) and the state governments have taken several steps to improve the regulatory mechanism and frame several schemes to incentivize organic farming. 2017 December, Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) have recognized both the certification systems (NPOP and PGS-India) valid for organic food products. From these steps, GOI has tried to create confidence in the organic products, so that, domestic consumers and export countries can trust Indian organic products. But still, the organic sector in India suffered from some unique characteristic that is the absence of proper branding, package, consumer awareness, purchasing power, and supply chain issues (Agarwal, 2018).

Putting Words into Action: Marketing Organic Products with Existing Brand Associations

As consumer interest in organic products continues to grow, brands are increasingly adding organic variants to their product lines. However, consumer evaluations of these actions are not straightforward and differ for brands with various associations or within different product contexts. Previous research has shown that products with credence attributes, such as organic products, are often judged by brand name and consumers’ existing brand associations. The current study adds to previous work on brand equity and brand associations by explicitly considering the context and characteristics of these branded organic products. First, a pretest determined the existing brands’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate ability (CA) associations. Next, an online experiment tested consumers’ perceptions of brand equity, consumers’ trust in the brands and consumers’ purchase intentions, which were analyzed using a fully parallel, multiple-mediator process model with the experimental conditions as independent variables. The results show that brand equity increases most when a brand associated with both CA and CSR introduces an organic product. In addition, consumers trust this brand more compared to brands that are less strongly associated with CSR. Moreover, the intention to purchase organic products increases as brand equity increases, but the intention to purchase organic products does not increase as trust increases. Based on these results, we conclude that brands aiming to increase their value to positively affect consumers’ purchase intentions of their organic products benefit most when they are highly associated with both CSR and CA.

Organic Certification: A Case Study of Organic Valley, Nepal

Organic agriculture is a holistic food production management system, which results in sound agroecological health, combat climate change, enhanced biodiversity and soil biological activities. There is an increasing interest in organic production all over the globe. With certification, there adds the confidence in the marketplace. Nepal government has authorized an organization called Organic Certification Nepal (OCN), who offers internationally accredited inspection and certification services to local operators. There are many other international organizations like NAASA (Australia), ECOCERT (France), One Cert Asia (USA), IMO (Switzerland), Control Union (Netherlands), CertAlletc. are also active in Nepal, with their agents. There are a number of methods to certify if a product is organic or not organic. This paper is an effort to find out potentials and development of organic agriculture and certification for hilly areas. Organic Valley which comprises of five VDCs out of which two VDCs is in Kavrepalanchok district and three VDCs is in Lalitpur district was surveyed by various means to assess the status of organic agriculture and certification. Through interaction with farmers, it was found 81.61% people are aware of organic farming while 68.96% are not aware of the organic certification. The major organic crop exported from the valley is coffee. Presently Internal Control System (ICS) found applicable for the certification of coffee. There is more scope of parallel cultivations in the valley, and that can be certified by using Participatory Guaranteed System (PGS). Organic farming is must since it improves environmental and human health, export possibilities and market place, discourage toxic chemical near human settlement, provide job space to youth and enhanced lifestyle.

Organic Food Market in Poland – Main Characteristics and Factors of Development

Since the early nineties of the twentieth century in the international arena began the interest in the issues of sustainable consumption and production. Undoubtedly, an important category of products, which have a significant impact on the environment, are food products. The intensive agriculture focused mainly on performance and reduction of manufacturing costs leads inevitably to destructive actions that have measurable adverse effects on the environment. The main aim of this paper is to present the results of consumer research concerning attitudes and opinions of customers towards organic food products. In a society the awareness of the importance of organic production for society is growing. However, the interest in organic products appears to be still relatively small. In these circumstances it seems to be important to discover and describe the factors which could potentially increase the interest of the costumers in organic food, which would lead to the growth in the demand for it.

Polymorphism in seed endosperm proteins (gliadins and glutenins) of Turkish cultivated einkorn wheat [Triticum monococcumssp.monococcum] landraces

The objective of this study is the analysis of polymorphism in seed endosperm proteins (gliadins and glutenins) of Turkish cultivated einkorn wheat [Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum] landraces. The genetic diversity of high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin subunits and the gliadin proteins in 10 landrace populations of cultivated einkorn wheat, originating from Turkey, was investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and ammonium lactic acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (A-PAGE), respectively. For glutenins, the mean number of alleles, the mean number of effective alleles, the mean value of genetic diversity and the mean value of average genetic diversity were detected as 3.50, 2.98, 0.65 and 0.28, respectively. The genetic differentiation was 0.57, while gene flow was 0.19 between populations. For gliadins, the mean number of alleles, the mean number of effective alleles, the mean value of total genetic diversity and the genetic diversity within population were detected as 2.00, 1.21, 0.17 and 0.15, respectively. The genetic differentiation was 0.08, whereas gene flow was 6.15 between populations. STRUCTURE is a software package program for population genetic analysis, was used to infer population structures of landraces populations. The optimum value for K was obtained as 10. Considering the high number of proteins and genetic variation, and increased interest in organic products, the farming of einkorn wheat should be supported and conservation of germplasm in landraces should be maintained as important genetic resources. The landraces germplasm should be conserved for future crop improvement processes.