環境保全型農産物における栽培情報と生産者情報に対する消費者選好の多様性

抄録

Eco-labeling schemes have been practiced in Japan to support eco-friendly farmers. Many previous studies have examined consumer preference on rice with eco-labeling which certifies its cultivation method. Most of those investigations, however, cannot sufficiently consider the variation of consumer preference. The objectives of this study are (1) analyzing the consumer preference about information on cultivation method and farmer, considering preference heterogeneity and (2) discussing the character of each consumer preference group. To achieve our purposes, we had an online questionnaire including a choice experiment and conducted latent class model estimation. The main outcomes are as follows. First, consumer preference on cultivation method, rice brand, and information on the farmer are heterogeneous. Second, consumers are likely to prefer the information on the cultivation method to information on the farmer. These results suggest to current eco-labeling schemes the importance of targeting a particular consumer group and providing proper information to each consumer group. Our results also suggest that consumers who prefer the information on the farmer are potentially becoming purchasers of conservation-agricultural products.