This research aims to explore how farmers share their knowledge along the value chain in order to educate and encourage consumers to choose and consume organic products. The results showed that to educate and encourage consumers to choose and consume organic products, tacit and explicit forms of knowledge sharing should be used. Silent forms should be used when educating and encouraging consumers about taste, price and quality, such as the freshness of a product that would help them gain experience with organic products.
For example, farmers shared information about a product's certification and showed consumers the organic logo to show that the product was certified to gain trust. So they start using more chemicals to produce more and more and achieve high production (Ramey, 2012). Quah and Tan (2010) define organic food as a green product or a product produced in an environmentally friendly manner that is safer due to little or no use of pesticides and herbicides.
Their research suggested that the perception of consumers, the belief that organic food is healthier than other types of food, and the eco-friendly production can positively determine the buying tendency of consumers. In addition, as the health trend is becoming more and more popular among Thai people, exercise is no longer the only option to stay fit, as consuming organic products is also another practical alternative to achieve that concept of a healthy life . They also seem to have difficulty adjusting their perception regarding organic products, even though they believe that a healthy life is better.
Therefore, this research was conducted to explore the knowledge that farmers should apply in the value chain with the hope of educating and encouraging consumers to choose and consume organic products.
LITERATURE REVIEW
- Organic Products
- Knowledge
- Types of Knowledge
- Knowledge Sharing
- Factors Influencing Buying Decisions
- Price Perceptions of Organic Food
- Product Quality Perceptions of Organic Food
- Trustworthiness of Organic Food
- Taste of Organic Food
- Research Framework
Such perceptions revolve around the idea that organic food is more expensive than conventional food, organic food quality is. For example, in a study, the authors investigated how European consumers perceive the price of organic food and the decisions in response (Aschemann-Witzel & Zielke, 2017). One of the known gaps in the literature on the price of organic food is that almost all previous studies have focused on willingness to pay or high.
The perception that organic food is of higher quality than conventional food can influence consumers' decision making regardless of the price difference. Being educated about organic food quality and safety is therefore potentially essential to consumers' decisions. A study in Russia supported the idea that consumers use higher quality perceptions of organic food as a justification for the higher price (Bruschi, Shershneva, Dolgopolova, Canavari, & Teuber, 2015).
These authors found that Russian consumers consider organic food to be of higher quality, for example fresher and safer than conventional food (Bruschi et al., 2015). Harper and Makatouni (2002) argue that the perceived quality of organic food also includes the perception of higher safety and health standards. Sriwananun et al. 2015) showed that Thai consumers associated organic food with improved quality and improved attributes such as food safety.
A study in Thailand found that a lack of consumer confidence in organic food is one of the main barriers to establishing an organic food market (Nuttavuthisit & Thøgersen, 2017). The authors found that consumers have a low level of knowledge about organic food standards and the ethical principles underlying organic gardening. Lack of trust in organic foods affects consumers' willingness to pay higher prices or buy at all, and also reduces the perceived benefits of organic foods (Nuttavuthisit & Thøgersen, 2017).
Several studies have supported the idea that consumers believe that organic food has better taste characteristics than conventional food. This author showed that consumers generally perceive organic food as having an exceptional and fresher taste than conventional food. A study in China also supported the idea that consumers buy organic food because they perceive it to be fresher and taste better (Xie, Wang, Yang, Wang, & Zhang, 2015).
In this study, about 65% of consumers identified freshness and natural taste as motivators for choosing organic food over conventional food (Xie et al., 2015). Therefore, the last question that farmers can solve through knowledge networks is the taste of organic food and how it compares to conventional food.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In order to conduct the interview at "Sukjai Market", the researcher would interview two types of interviewees: consumers and farmers, in the direction of getting the consumers' opinion, at the same time the farmers could present their products, argue with the customers why they should choose organic goods, even though they are sometimes a little more expensive. The data of this study was collected from a sample size divided into two groups: consumers and farmers. Interviewing consumers would help to study and understand why they choose organic products and the perception behind their choice.
It was also necessary to focus on farmers who practice organic farming because these farmers could provide a thorough knowledge of how they work and grow their crops, promote their farms and get to know consumers. To obtain the desired information from the questionnaire, the interviewer must carefully investigate each interviewee and situation. However, open-ended questions make it possible to elicit superficial responses and reasonable opinions to gather information from an individual's emotional response.
Such an expressive response is relevant to the interviewer, because it often determines a person's decisions or influences his behavior. The consumer interview lasted approximately five to fifteen minutes, depending on the answers given and the situation. Moreover, the mood of the interviewees during an interview also affected the duration, as some of them did not feel comfortable answering multiple questions when traveling with their parents or children.
Still, many people were willing to help by completing the entire questionnaire and giving their opinion on each question. In any case, interviewing the farmers took about seven to twenty-five minutes per session, depending on their knowledge and way of answering the questions. Some of them enjoyed explaining how they ran their farm, how they developed and solved the problems, and expressing their feelings and opinions about organic farming.
The obstacle during the interview was the interruption of clients as we had to stop from time to time before resuming the session once they finished trading.
DATA ANALYSIS
- Interviewee Information
- Value of Organic Products
- Farmers’ Views
- Consumers’ Views
- Knowledge Sharing
- Discussion
The selected consumers are those who have experience in buying organic products and are classified into three groups: regular consumption, occasional consumption and rare consumption. In this case, the researcher divided consumers into three groups based on the frequency of consumption of organic products. That's why she looked for organic products and tried to take better care of her health.
Non-regular customers who occasionally consume organic products agreed that organic goods were more expensive than conventional products. In addition, this group reasoned that they consumed organic products because they were beneficial for health. They believed that consuming organic produce could help reduce the risk of getting sick from chemical pollution.
Interviewee C6 added that she trusted Sukjai Market because the organic products sold there were certified by a. They also said that organic products make them feel good because they are delicious and healthy. Some interviewees pointed out that recommendations from friends were also a factor that led them to buy organic products.
The results for the group that rarely consumes organic products were different from the other two groups. Consumers then added that these forms of knowledge encouraged them to buy more organic products. This would probably show consumers a better understanding and more trust in organic products.
The research found that farmers would rely more on tacit knowledge when it comes to subjective knowledge based on individual judgments such as the taste and quality of organic produce (freshness, color and shape). The use of tacit forms of knowledge to provide information about the taste and quality of organic products is therefore preferable. Moreover, this research revealed that consumers perceive the value of organic products differently based on diverse consumer experiences.
Also, this research found that regular consumers thought organic products tasted better. In conclusion, this research showed that farmers and consumers exchange knowledge about organic products in tacit and explicit forms.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusion
Recommendations
Government should play its role by cooperating with farmers on various management issues such as price support. For example, they should coordinate with the private sector in order to support and provide locations for sale. It would help reduce the cost of organic produce as farmers do not have to pay rent for their land.
In addition, the government should educate consumers through advertising on television and social media, and encourage students in schools and universities. However, farmers may need to provide more information about organic farming and products to educate those new to organic consumption. Explicit forms of knowledge sharing would be appropriate and effective to help build basic understanding.
Then implement tacit forms of knowledge in terms of value for money, taste and health benefits by asking these consumers to try the products while simultaneously helping them gain experience. Furthermore, the results also showed that family and friends can help promote organic consumption among the rarely consuming group. Farmers and organic business owners can also educate and promote organic products through word of mouth to reach those who rarely consume organic products.
Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research
