tailieunhanh - Analysis of Factors Affecting Agricultural Organic Products Diffusion Among Consumers: Perception of Extension Workers

The success with organic foods depends on consumer acceptance and use. Potential consumers may not even be aware of organic foods or may have the wrong perception even when aware. More knowledge could lead to increased use of organics due to the link between awareness and purchases. Briz and Ward (2009) argue that while awareness is based on consciousness, consumption requires an explicit buying commitment that should be influenced by price and appropriate measure(s) of the organic quality. These may be important attributes to consider increasing organic food consumption. . | World Applied Sciences Journal 6 3 331-338 2009 ISSN 1818-4952 IDOSI Publications 2009 Analysis of Factors Affecting Agricultural Organic Products Diffusion Among Consumers Perception of Extension Workers All Asadi Morteza Akbari 2Aboulghasem Sharifzadeh and 1SeyyedMahmoud Hashemi Department of Agricultural Extension and Education College of Agricultural Economics and Development University of Tehran Iran 2Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Iran Abstract Decades ago agrochemicals were introduced aiming at enhancing crop yields and at protecting crops from pests. Due to adaptation and resistance developed by pests to chemicals every year higher amounts and new chemical compounds are used to protect crops causing undesired side effects and raising the costs of food production. The main purpose of this study was to explore factors affecting agricultural organic products AOP diffusion among Iranian consumers. A survey of 289 extension workers was conducted in Iran. To collect data a questionnaire was designed. The study found that TV radio were the most important AOP information delivery methods. Also results of exploratory factor analysis revealed that four factors determined about 59 percent of variations in diffusion of AOP institutional percent cultural percent economic percent and production . Key words Agricultural Organic Products AOP Extension Workers Perception Diffusion Iran INTRODUCTIN Agriculture is an important economic sector in developing countries such as Iran 1 . In the past two decades growing environmental awareness in combination with concerns about safer foods have led people to question modern agricultural practices 2 . In response to concerns about conventional agricultural practices food safety human health concerns 3-5 and environmental safety 6-9 interests in organically produced foods is increasing throughout the world. These concerns along with observed organic consumer behavior has