Vegetable Sector Research Articles

Recent developments in ohmic technology for clean label fruit and vegetable processing: An overview

AbstractThe commercial future of any food and its ingredients is mostly determined by consumer perceptions and preferences following their lifestyle. However, health‐conscious and educated consumers are increasingly deliberated on natural, minimally processed foods. Accordingly, academic interest in food processing has expanded to maintain the degree of product freshness. But the scope of these published studies is broad and fragmented while there is limited research that systematically evaluates emerging technologies such as ohmic heating (OH) in clean‐label applications in fruit and vegetable sector. OH applies an electric current endorsing uniform and quick heat generation inside the food matrix. Furthermore, OH has shorter processing times, which inhibits overheating and causes less deterioration of heat‐labile nutrients. This study presents a comprehensive overview of advanced OH applications for inactivation of degrading enzymes and conserving natural properties of food when compared with conventional heating such as pasteurization or sterilization. Moreover, the OH combinations with nonthermal techniques such as vacuum, dehydration/drying, and evaporation/concentration have been discussed.Practical applicationsOH technology is considered very useful for producing products as “clean labeled.” Among the advantages of using OH for food processing and preservation purposes, it is very important to maintain antimicrobial properties, many nutrients and pro‐health components in processed fruit and vegetable products. OH has high potential and wide scope in future for various unit operations such as dehydration, evaporation, blanching and extraction for the food and vegetable sector. These are subjected to continuous investigation as per consumer demand without compromising safety. And due to energy savings (short process time), the possibility of using it in sustainable food production techniques.

Impact of National Horticulture Mission on Vegetable and Fruit Sectors of India

The comparative performance of vegetables and fruits during pre (1991-92 to 2005-06) and post (2006-07 to 2018-19) National Horticultural Mission (NHM) based on secondary data was assessed. The study revealed that the growth rates of area and production of vegetables increased during the post-NHM period, but the productivity marginally declined during the post-NHM. The growth rate of area under fruits during pre-NHM was comparatively more than the post-NHM period. However, the growth rate of production and productivity of fruits was recorded comparatively more during the post-NHM period. It was further revealed that the area, production and productivity of both the crop groups were more stable during the post-NHM period. Further, analysis of all the macro indicators showed significantly rising trends revealing a positive impact of NHM.

PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF THE VEGETABLE SECTOR IN POLAND AND SELECTED EU COUNTRIES

The aim of the research was to assess the production potential of the vegetable sector, as a factor of competitiveness, in Poland and selected EU countries. The evaluation of vegetable production was based on a comparative analysis of the level and changes in land area devoted to crops, yields, the number of farms and the average area of crops on the farm, the species structure of crops, the level of basic vegetable yields, and the resources of the factors of vegetable farm production from the FADN system. The research has shown that Poland’s high and growing position in vegetable production results mainly from the high acreage of crops, their partially complementary structure, and above all from relatively low labour costs compared to other surveyed EU countries. On the other hand, the improvement of effectiveness is not supported by the large fragmentation of Polish farms, although an increase in the average area of cultivation per farm was observed in the examined period. The research shows that in most of the analysed countries there was still a large fragmentation of vegetable farms. The analysis of vegetable farm inputs (on the basis of FADN data) in selected countries also shows that in the analysed period, a decrease in production factor resources was observed in Poland, Italy and France.

Sustentabilidade e adoção de novos hábitos no setor de hortaliças e frutas brasileiras durante a pandemia do novo coronavírus

Agribusiness, despite the difficulties caused by the global health emergency, shows resilience and adaptation of its activities due to the essentiality of food security. People continue to eat, despite new habits that have been established and it is important to understand these behaviors and capture opportunities. Since March 2020, the economy, as well as the vegetable and fruit sector, have been feeling the impacts of social isolation measures in the country, as it is well known, health emergencies like the current one, the lack of food is the first consequence. The consumption of healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits and beans increased from 40.2% to 44.6% during the pandemic in Brazilian homes. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the constraints of the fruit and vegetable sector as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. This is a qualitative study and the method used is a literature review based on mapping the opportunities and challenges of this chain and assisting in planning from production to commercialization. This reflection contributes to science and agribusiness by presenting critical points that deserve the attention of researchers, governments, and farmers in the face of the Pandemic phenomenon

Innovation as a Factor Increasing Fruit Consumption: The Case of Poland.

Due to the low level of fruit consumption in relation to dietary recommendations in many European countries, including Poland, multidirectional actions should be taken to increase the consumption of these products. One of the ideas could be the introduction of innovative products. The main goal of the study is to determine the relationship between consumer propensity to purchase innovative products and the frequency of consumption of fruits and their preserves of consumers. The research sample consisted of 600 respondents who declared to consume fruit and were responsible for food shopping in their households. The results obtained indicate that consumers with a higher propensity to purchase innovative products consumed fruit and fruit preserves more. In addition, statistically significant differences were found between innovators and non-innovators in terms of income, expenditures on fruit purchases, places where fruit and fruit preserves were purchased and product characteristics that determined the purchase decision. The logistic regression results indicate that a higher frequency of supermarket/hypermarket and online shopping, a higher weekly spending on fruit and a greater importance attributed to the biodegradability of the packaging increased the favorability of innovation relatively to fruit products (by 23.8%, 31.4%, 32.7% and 21.6%, respectively). The relationships found may have important implications for both private and public stakeholders in the fruit and vegetable sector.

Vegetable Trade Flows and Chain Competitiveness Linkage Analysis Based on Spatial Panel Econometric Modelling and Porter’s Diamond Model

The vegetable sector plays an important role in ensuring food security. Vegetable trade flows in Romania have become a major concern due to constant trade balance deficits despite the country’s agricultural potential. Taking into account the paradox between what could be considered an abundance of factor endowments and poor trade balance results, the objective of this research was to study the linkage between vegetable trade flows and chain competitiveness. Spatial panel econometric methods were used to study the impact of the international vegetable market on the demand in Romania, while the Balassa index and Porter’s diamond modelling techniques were used to study the competitiveness of the vegetable chain at both county and national levels. By applying the spatial regression method to the international trade and national production panel data, it was found that an increase in the quantity of vegetables imported into Romania would cause an even greater decrease in national vegetable production. The results show that Romanian vegetable production is highly and negatively influenced by the growing appetite for imports—therefore leading to a national dependence on the global vegetable chain. Porter’s diamond model results confirm that: (a) growing vegetables is profitable in Romania and the average profit margin is higher in this economic sector than in many others; (b) there is a lack of competitiveness caused by the post-communist excessively fragmented agrarian land structure and poor performance of the irrigation, warehousing, and transportation sectors; (c) the national production of vegetables is generally self-sufficient with the exception of three counties that resort to importing and account for more than 70% of Romania’s total vegetable imports; (d) factor endowments cannot be fully harnessed, and this contributes to the deepening of the trade balance deficits. Improvement is possible by fostering competitiveness through increasing the performance of supporting industries and the logistics infrastructure, as well as removing market access barriers for the many small farmers.

Prospects for habitat management to suppress vegetable pests in Australia

AbstractHabitat management is an ecologically based approach to suppress pest densities, utilising properties of non‐crop vegetation to improve the impact of natural enemies or to directly affect pest behaviour. Research in this approach has escalated dramatically this century, extending to uptake in some crops, but adoption in Australia has been lower than overseas. Here, we address the need of the Australian vegetable sector to reduce reliance on insecticides by assessing the scope for habitat management in brassica (Brassicaceae), lettuce (Lactuca sativa) (Asteraceae), capsicum (Capsicum annuum) (Solanaceae), carrot (Daucus carota) (Apiaceae), French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) (Fabaceae) and sweetcorn (Zea mays) (Poaceae) crops. Each crop is of major economic importance, and together, they represent contrasting botanical families and production systems that are associated with different arthropod complexes. We review studies of habitat management that are based on provision of shelter, nectar, alternative prey or pollen for natural enemies (top‐down effects) or changing pest behaviour (bottom‐up effects) through intercropping or trap crops. The likely utility of these approaches under Australian conditions is assessed, and recommendations are made to promote adoption and for adaptive research. Nectar‐ and pollen‐providing plants, such as alyssum (Lobularia maritima) (Brassicaceae), offer strong potential to promote natural enemies in multiple crops whilst trap crops, especially yellow rocket (Barbarea vulgaris) (Brassicaceae), have more targeted utility against diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), the most serious pest of brassicas. Opportunities for intercrops and banker plant species are also identified. Our recommendations serve as a platform for researchers and for farmer‐led studies to help realise the full potential of habitat management approaches in Australian vegetable production systems.

Promising antifungal activity of two varieties of Capsicum chinense against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Colletotrichum goleosporoides

Peppers (Capsicum sp.) which belong to the Solanaceae family constitute an important segment in the vegetable sector, both in agriculture and in the food industry. This paper aims to investigate in vitro antifungal activity of hexane extracts from Capsicum chinense fruit (unripe bode pepper – ‘HE-UB’ – and ripe little beak pepper – ‘HE-RB’) against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizopus stolonifer and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Antifungal activity was evaluated by the disk diffusion method (DDM) at doses between 25 µL and 300 µL of both diluted extracts. Chemical analyses revealed that the major constituent in both extracts was E-caryophyllene. HE-RB inhibited 100% of S. sclerotiorum, R. stolonifer and C. gloeosporioides growth at doses of 200 µL, 100 µL and 300 µL, respectively. HE-UB also inhibited 100% of fungal growth at doses of 100 µL (S. sclerotiorum), 150 µL (C. gloeosporioides) and 200 µL (R. stolonifer). HE-RB and HE-UB were active against the fungi under study; thus, screening of medicinal plants provides another alternative to produce chemical fungicides that are relatively non-toxic and cost-effective.

INFORMATION AND CONSULTANCY SUPPORT FOR THE FUNCTIONING OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES

Introduction. Agricultural micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are limited in their access to the best modern agricultural practices due to both objective and subjective factors. Due to the lack of a single information system for collecting, systematizing and disseminating information on the best modern agricultural practices, they are virtually unknown to the general public of micro, small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises, little used in their activities. Methods. The following methods were used to implement the tasks: dialectical, abstract and logical and systems analysis (theoretical generalization and systematization of research results, formation of conclusions); graphic; monographic, indicator, methods of expert evaluation and rank correlation, SWOT-analysis; synthesis (development of conceptual and organizational principles of construction of information and consulting support) and other generally accepted methods of economic research. Results. The online resource center “Best farming practices “farmer to farmer” aims to provide agricultural SMEs with practical knowledge and demonstration base of modern agricultural technologies in Ukraine and the world, which can be implemented in the fruit and vegetable sector, livestock, aquaculture, poultry (except chickens), confectionery and craft products. Such resource should become a communication platform, first of all, between those who implement modern approaches and technologies and their potential followers. In particular, in the course of the study, the feasibility study of the above-mentioned online resource was economically substantiated and its impact on the efficiency of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises was assessed. Discussion. Using the online platform as a communicator, it is planned to ensure constant and effective communication between agricultural producers, scientists, educators and advisors. Further development of the online platform will include evaluation of the effectiveness of its activities in such areas as outsourcing, advertising, and education. An important area of research is the development of an analytical database based on the resource center “Best Agricultural Practice”, covering the process of production and sale of agricultural products, as well as the creation of a trading platform that will minimize transaction costs. Keywords: agricultural enterprises, online platform, advisory, information resource, agricultural producers.

Characterization of cooling equipment in the food industry: Case study of the Colombian meat, dairy, and fruit and vegetable sectors

The food industry contributes to environmental impacts through the intensive use of energy. Therefore, it is important to understand the characteristics of cooling systems as a material service to develop strategies to decrease their environmental impacts and improve productivity. This study analyses three food sectors in Colombia that use refrigerant systems based on the requirements of the quality, processing and preservation of products and material service in emerging economies, where it is important to determine the baseline technology level and identify beneficial system innovations. This paper provides an overview of the value chains, production levels and trends, cooling systems, material services and maintenance processes for three sectors using qualitative and quantitative methods and different knowledge sources, including a survey and previous studies related to refrigeration in the food industry. The results show that the infrastructure most used is a cold chamber or cold storage, followed by refrigerators and the equipment used in the refrigeration systems, including compressors, condensers, evaporators and, to a lesser extent, chillers, on which preventive and corrective maintenance is performed every three to four months. The equipment and accessories largely come from the United States, Europe and China, and purchasing decisions are based on price. The results also indicate that it is important that decision makers in these three sectors increase their awareness and knowledge of cooling equipment and its environmental impacts with the aim of improving productivity and decreasing pollution. In particular, material services that require resources such as energy and other materials should be more environmentally friendly. Based on these findings, the government could design different instruments for technological change. The majority of cooling systems in the three sectors have been in operation for over 10 years. Thus, in a country where agricultural diversity and export capacity are key contributors to development and economic growth in rural areas, strategies to implement cold chain systems that are less polluting and more productive are essential. The findings of this study are important for establishing actions for change and technology transfer and promoting the modernization of the agricultural market through exports. It is important to ensure an effective cold chain utilizing environmentally friendly and efficient refrigeration systems, which may provide access to new markets for natural and fresh food products.

The importance role and place of online resources in widespread agroinnovation

It has been proven that agricultural micro and small agricultural enterprises are limited in access to the best modern agricultural practices due to the presence of both objective and subjective factors. The online resource center "Best practices of farmer-farmer practices" aims to provide agricultural MMAE with practical knowledge and demonstration base of modern agricultural technologies in Ukraine and the world, which can be implemented in the fruit and vegetable sector, livestock, aquaculture, poultry (except chickens). confectionery and craft products. Such a resource should become a communication platform, first of all, between those who implement modern approaches and technologies and their potential followers. Given that the key beneficiaries of the resource center are business entities, the idea of transforming the center into a business entity that provides services to both such entities and authorities, local governments for the successful implementation of agricultural policy is obviously development of rural entrepreneurship. Thus, the resource center "Best practices of farmer-farmer" will help to solve the problems and challenges not only of producers, distributors and implementers of agricultural innovations, best agricultural practices, but also the executive and local governments. The services provided through the online platform "Best Agricultural Practices for MMAE " will be able to disseminate innovative technologies that have practical application among small and medium-sized businesses in the field of agribusiness. Using the online platform as a communicator, it is planned to ensure constant and effective communication between agricultural producers, scientists, educators and advisors. Creating an information resource on a sectoral basis will allow to concentrate in one place information about the best modern agricultural practices and provide access to them for end users - agricultural producers, using existing channels of information dissemination in the system of agricultural advisory. Key words: innovation, agricultural enterprise, online platform, advisory, agricultural practice.

Diagnosis and baseline refrigerant use in the Colombian meat, dairy, and fruit and vegetable industries

• The characteristics and baseline use of refrigerant gas in the food sector. • To identify the characteristics of refrigerants used in the three selected sectors. • The most used refrigerant gases are R22, R404, R507 and R134A in the three sectors. • A survey was carried out in meat, dairy, fruit and vegetable sectors. • Refrigerant changes are performed when leaks occur or equipment is damaged. This paper presents the characteristics and baseline use of refrigerant gas in the meat, dairy, and fruit and vegetable sectors. The data are based on different sources of primary information starting from a survey of the companies that constitute the three chains in different departments of Colombia. The results show that the management, use and handling of refrigerants is similar among the three productive sectors and that the most commonly used refrigerant gases are R22, R404, R507, and R134A. Moreover, 80% of refrigerants are traditional and 20% are natural refrigerants, especially in large companies that have managed to migrate to cleaner technologies that have less of an impact on the environment. The food sector with the highest use of refrigerant gas is the meat industry, followed by the dairy and fruit and vegetable industries. Except in the fruit and vegetable chain, the refrigerant charge for these sectors is less than 100 kilograms and refrigerant changes are performed in a period of six to twelve months. A consensus was reached that preventive maintenance and timely detection of leaks is essential for the efficient and rational use of refrigerant, and its reuse is not a practice that is evident in these sectors. The findings of this study are important for analysing how companies in the food sector, have implemented environmentally friendly practices related to vital refrigeration processes for the processing and conservation of products and for identifying controls and maintenance processes that generate refrigerant changes and reduce environmental impacts.

Participatory certifications for the sustainability transition of food systems in Costa Rica: barriers and opportunities for scaling out

ABSTRACT Participatory certifications for organic production are proliferating around the world, especially in India and Latin America. Costa Rica is one of the Latin American countries that recognizes Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) by law although, so far, only few such types of certifications exist in the country. PGS schemes for promoting organic agriculture can be especially important for the vegetable sector of Costa Rica given the historically large use of agrochemicals in conventional (fruits and vegetables) production and its environmental and public health consequences. In this article, we use transition theory and the Multi-Level Perspective to analyze PGS for organic vegetables as a niche with a potential for but facing barriers to scaling out. Our literature review, supported by field surveys and observations, revealed different social and institutional barriers characterizing the niche–regime interactions which foster, or at times hamper, the scalability of PGS. Examples from other countries like Brazil and Mexico helped shed light on potential future paths for PGS in Costa Rica. Our results suggest that current institutional recognition of PGS might support scaling out if a more flexible legislative framework is implemented and political and technical support provided to participatory certification initiatives is increased.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SECTOR OF AGRICULTURE IN THE YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE: DEVELOPMENT, CHALLENGES AND RESULTS

The article focuses on the state support of the agricultural fruit and vegetable sector during the years of independence, as well as the existing problems in this area and their solutions.

Artificial Intelligence Decision Support System Based on Artificial Neural Networks to Predict the Commercialization Time by the Evolution of Peach Quality

Climacteric fruit such as peaches are stored in cold chambers after harvest and usually are maintained there until the desired ripening is reached to direct these fruit to market. Producers, food industries and or traders have difficulties in defining the period when fruit are at the highest level of quality desired by consumers in terms of the physical-chemical parameters (hardness –H–, soluble solids content –SSC–, and acidity –Ac–). The evolution of peach quality in terms of these parameters depends directly on storage temperature –T– and relative humidity –RH–, as well on the storage duration –t–. This paper describes an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Decision Support System (DSS) designed to predict the evolution of the quality of peaches, namely the storage time required before commercialization as well as the late commercialization time. The peaches quality is stated in terms of the values of SSC, H and Ac that consumers most like for the storage T and RH. An Artificial neuronal network (ANN) is proposed to provide this prediction. The training and validation of the ANN were conducted with experimental data acquired in three different farmers’ cold storage facilities. A user interface was developed to provide an expedited and simple prediction of the marketable time of peaches, considering the storage temperature, relative humidity, and initial physical and chemical parameters. This AI DSS may help the vegetable sector (logistics and retailers), especially smaller neighborhood grocery stores, define the marketable period of fruit. It will contribute with advantages and benefits for all parties—producers, traders, retailers, and consumers—by being able to provide fruit at the highest quality and reducing waste in the process. In this sense, the ANN DSS proposed in this study contributes to new AI-based solutions for smart cities.

Profitability and market performance of smallholder vegetable production: evidence from Ethiopia

Regardless of the fact that the vegetable crop is crucial for Ethiopia's economy, public research on vegetable crops was negligible, and limited attention has been given to the sector. The main objective of the study was to analyze profitability of vegetable production, market performance and identify major constraints of smallholder vegetables production, specifically potato, tomato and cabbage. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 420 sample households randomly from nine kebeles, and 139 traders were selected purposively. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources by using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, gross profit formula and structure-conduct-performance model was applied to analyze the data. The result of profitability analysis showed that potato, tomato and cabbage production in the study area was profitable. The result of structure analysis indicated that the market structure for potato, tomato and cabbage was characterized by weak oligopolistic market. The analysis of market conduct showed that the price of vegetables was determined by traders. Performance analysis demonstrated that the total gross marketing margin and profit margin was highest when producers sold vegetables to consumers and the lowest when they sold vegetables to collectors across the channel. Shortage of inputs, pests and diseases, lack of improved storage, post-harvest loss, brokers' interventions, low price of the product, poor transportation facility and information flow were the major constraints. Therefore, policy initiatives aiming at increasing farmers' access to quality vegetables inputs, strengthen vegetable extension services, improving infrastructure, disseminating reliable market information, reducing unfair profit distribution and increasing bargaining power of farmers to accelerate rural economic growth and poverty reduction. In addition, research institutes and universities should significantly contribute in releasing high yielding and disease resistant varieties to improve production and productivity of vegetables sector.

Consumers’ Attitude and Intention towards Organic Fruits and Vegetables: Empirical Study on Romanian Consumers

Organic farming is one of the fastest growing sectors, both in developed and developing countries. Although Romania is in sixth place at the level of the European Union in terms of agricultural area, the share of ecologically certified areas is low. The fruits and vegetables sector is the most important for the agri-food production in Romania, accounting for 58% of the total cultivated area. In recent years, there is a tendency for consumers to focus on healthy diets with safe, high quality foods and high nutritional compounds from unpolluted areas. However, the Romanian market of organic fruits and vegetables is still underdeveloped due to the small number of consumers of organic products. The future of organic farming is largely dependent on attitude and consumer demand. The purpose of this paper is to study the attitudes and intentions of Romanian consumers towards the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables through direct research among 268 individuals. The results show that the attitudes of individuals towards the consumption of organic fruits and vegetables is directly and positively influenced by the information that individuals have about the characteristics of organic products, their personal needs and motivations, but also by external influences, and the purchase barriers do not represent elements with a strong enough influence on the attitude and intention.

Analyzing barriers and levers for practice change: a new framework applied to vegetables’ soil pest management

Western agricultural practices for crop protection are still heavily dependent on pesticides, even though they cause major human health and environmental hazards. In France, public incentives for pesticide reduction have failed to achieve their goal, and agroecological practices are still seldom implemented. In this study, we hypothesized that a systemic analysis of the determinants of current farming practices could serve to characterize (i) the impediments to change in farming practices; (ii) the resources supporting the change; (iii) the underpinning sociotechnical processes; (iv) the stakeholders’ involvement; and (v) levers to facilitate agroecological transition. We therefore designed the first analytical framework that supports a systemic, multi-level (field, farm, territorial, and supra-territorial), multi-actor (including private actors and policymakers), and transformation-oriented analysis of the determinants of farming practices. We applied this analytical framework to the management of root-knot nematodes in sheltered vegetable systems in south-eastern France, jointly analyzing conventional and organic systems. We conducted this comprehensive analysis based on complementary data collection methods: interviews with stakeholders, analysis of written material, participant observation, and participatory workshops. We show that strongly interconnected determinants of farming practices fostered drastic soil disinfection and locked out agroecological soil health technology (e.g., product quality and economic constraints from marketing firms and from regulations; lack of knowledge; unavailability of agroecological inputs). However, this sociotechnical lock-in was being undermined by societal pressures and increasing actions of the stakeholders in favor of the agroecology paradigm. On the other hand, the conventionalization process of the organic regime was simultaneously threatening the further development of agroecological practices. Finally, this analysis revealed levers that could be used to support innovation design and enable changes in farming practices toward agroecology (e.g., facilitate access to agroecological inputs, develop multi-stakeholder platforms). The framework, successfully applied to the Provençal vegetable sector, could be used in other production and territorial contexts.

Integration in export marketing channels and farms' labor force composition: Female agricultural workers in the Moroccan vegetable sector

AbstractThe Moroccan agricultural sector employs around 40% of the country's total working population. Since the early 1990s, there has been a striking increase in the proportion of female wage laborers. This article investigates the effect of the gendered composition of the agricultural wage labor force on horticultural farms. We draw on an original data set collected in 2010, comprising 240 agricultural holdings located in the region of Souss Massa. The results suggest that local labor shortages do not play a major role in explaining the ratio of female hired wage laborers. Instead, it seems that quality requirements are encouraging farm holdings to hire a female labor force. [EconLit citations: Q12, O13, J43]

What product mix do they offer and what marketing channels do they use? – Exploring agricultural producer organisations’ heterogeneity

Agricultural producer organisations, the entities which aim at grouping farmers together, have become increasingly important in the food supply chain. In addition, they are widely viewed as having the potential to considerably contribute to rural people's wellbeing. Yet, we have only a limited understanding of the way in which these collective action organisations operate on the market. In response to this, the paper makes two contributions. First, our research documents an enormous variety in market behaviour of these organisations. This concerns both the product mix they offer and marketing channels they use. Second, drawing on recent advancements in theories of the firm, our analysis seeks to provide some insights on the nature and determinants of this heterogeneity. While the evidence we provide reflects merely conditional correlations, it points to two interesting regularities. On the one hand, it suggests that supplying large retail chains is positively associated with the organisations' size and openness to accept deliveries from non-members. On the other hand, it suggests that organisations operating in a more competitive environment offer less products than organisations that face lower pressure from the competition. Our specific example comes from the fruit and vegetable sector in Poland, a country which is among the biggest fruit and vegetable producers in the European Union.