Articles
Willingness to pay for horticultural products produced with beneficial insects: do the Big Five matter?
Article number
1327_104
Pages
781 – 790
Language
English
Abstract
Beneficial insects are increasingly used in German horticultural production, especially under glass.
The application of beneficial insects is a plant protection method that reduces the need for insecticides.
However, to date, practitioners and retailers rarely inform consumers about either the application or the benefits of beneficial insects.
To identify whether consumers value this plant protection practice, this study explores consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for horticultural products (i.e., fresh fruits/vegetables and ornamental plants) produced with beneficial insects.
Moreover, the study aims to identify drivers of consumers’ WTP by following an interdisciplinary approach: psychological drivers in terms of the Big Five personality traits are included in the analysis, as well as a number of more standard economic drivers.
The data derive from an online survey conducted in 2019 with 1,223 study participants in Germany.
Participants indicate that they are, on average, willing to pay more for horticultural products produced with beneficial insects.
By exploring WTP drivers, results suggest that a number of personality traits correlate statistically significantly on a 5% level with the WTP. However, they consistently correlate more with the WTP for fruits/vegetables than with the WTP for ornamental plants.
Also, personality traits are only statistically significant in an extensive regression model explaining the WTP for fruits/vegetables.
This study draws two main conclusions: first, informing consumers about biological plant protection measures can be a fruitful marketing strategy for horticultural producers, and, second, using interdisciplinary approaches to understand consumers’ WTP can be insightful.
The application of beneficial insects is a plant protection method that reduces the need for insecticides.
However, to date, practitioners and retailers rarely inform consumers about either the application or the benefits of beneficial insects.
To identify whether consumers value this plant protection practice, this study explores consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for horticultural products (i.e., fresh fruits/vegetables and ornamental plants) produced with beneficial insects.
Moreover, the study aims to identify drivers of consumers’ WTP by following an interdisciplinary approach: psychological drivers in terms of the Big Five personality traits are included in the analysis, as well as a number of more standard economic drivers.
The data derive from an online survey conducted in 2019 with 1,223 study participants in Germany.
Participants indicate that they are, on average, willing to pay more for horticultural products produced with beneficial insects.
By exploring WTP drivers, results suggest that a number of personality traits correlate statistically significantly on a 5% level with the WTP. However, they consistently correlate more with the WTP for fruits/vegetables than with the WTP for ornamental plants.
Also, personality traits are only statistically significant in an extensive regression model explaining the WTP for fruits/vegetables.
This study draws two main conclusions: first, informing consumers about biological plant protection measures can be a fruitful marketing strategy for horticultural producers, and, second, using interdisciplinary approaches to understand consumers’ WTP can be insightful.
Authors
M. Lehberger
Keywords
biological control, beneficial insects, consumer preferences, personality traits
Groups involved
- Division Plant Genetic Resources, Breeding and Biotechnology
- Division Tropical and Subtropical Fruit and Nuts
- Division Temperate Tree Fruits
- Division Vine and Berry Fruits
- Division Ornamental Plants
- Division Vegetables, Roots and Tubers
- Division Plant-Environment Interactions in Field Systems
- Division Greenhouse and Indoor Production Horticulture
- Division Postharvest and Quality Assurance
- Division Precision Horticulture and Engineering
- Division Horticulture for Human Health
- Division Temperate Tree Nuts
- Division Landscape and Urban Horticulture
- Division Sustaining Horticulture in a Changing World
- Working Group Humulus and Other Cannabaceae
Online Articles (111)