The following report analyses some particularly important aspects of the Italian agricultural structure. The total market is very fragmented, consisting of a large number of very small farms that set against a few others of considerable importance, leads to a market completely different from other European countries. Evolution in the last twenty years has registered, on one hand, a reduction in areas under cultivation of wine and wheat, the most important and widespread crops, and on the other, an increase in vegetables and industrial crop. This analysis will not be exhaustive and complete, on the contrary it will only deal with sone aspects of reality that are really interesting because connected to the agrochemical market. This study is a desk-research, it uses data coming from official statistics and from market research carried out by Infomark.
After Sweden became a member of the European Union, an uncertain period arised for the Swedish agricultural co-operatives. Before agricultural co-operatives operated on the domestic market. The surplus production was exported with export subsidies. Due to a strict distribution of the domestic market in geographical regions and the restriction of imports by import levies, there was hardly competition. The EU-membership meant that the Swedish market became a part of the Common Market. It also meant an abolishment of the import levies and the export subsidies for trade within the European Union. This paper describes an analysis of the problems Swedish agricultural co-operatives expected to meet. The analysis is divided in three parts. The first part describes the influence the Swedish competition legislation has on the development of agricultural co-operatives. The second part describes the co-operative principles practiced in Sweden, and the third part is describing possible strategies for agricultural co-operatives to cope with the increasing competition.
This paper shows how market research was used by a company to help them with their capital investment in new processing plants. An outline of the methodology of the research is provided. The high level of detail required at the sampling and interviewing stage are described. The way the data was analysis to provide actionable data leads on to a brief discussion of some of the key findings of the research.
The paper takes a case study of the potential introduction of a new agricultural technology. It considers the introduction and marketing strategy for transgenic herbicide resistance, one of the first widespread applications of genetically modified organisms to be introduced into Europe. We are about two years away from the launch of such technology across the EU. After probably ten years of research, market availability of plant varieties carrying a modified gene which confers specific resistance to a particular herbicide is imminent. The technology promises considerable economic advantages to the farmer and could radically change both the seed and agrochemical markets in Europe. The research scientists working on the technique are convinced of its value to agriculture. Others are not so sure. The words "genetic engineering" strike a concerned note amongst consumers. There are emotive reactions and there are more genuine anxieties about the longer term effects on the environment and health. Some would have all foods derived from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) labelled accordingly. These public concerns are leading legislators and policy makers to put several administrative or legal hurdles in front of the technology before full approval for marketing.
The paper describes a new market research approach for the analysis of retail distributions choices and efforts when selling agrochemicals to the farmers. The method, called DISTRASCOPE, is based on two specific features: quantified interviews of a representative sample of salesmen of the distribution, availability of results at the end of the off season but before any use of the products. This type of survey has a great interest for agrochemicals companies in order to give an early overview of the sales campaign. It gives the companies a support to remotivate the regional sales teams with up to date information on the orientations of the retail distribution. It makes easier for them to target their actions on a better management of the products in order to avoid inventory shortage as well as products in excess at the end of the season of use. Before giving a comprehensive overview of the new methodology we would like to introduce, it is necessary' to explain the main features of retail distribution of agrochemicals to farmers in France.
The paper gives en overview of the importance of integrate the results from customer satisfaction research in the day to day operations. In the paper it is given a short description of the company - the Swedish Farmers Relief Service Corporation - and the process how the results from the customer research are used. The organisation of the company have some importance why it is necessary to have knowledge of the customers attitudes and the demands of service. The importance of customer research in general is discussed. Some comments about the method for the customer satisfaction research are given. Specialists must do the research.The need of planning the feed-back of the results is underlined. The results from customer research give the management tools at all levels. Not just for service-operations and product-development, even for budget planning and for some adjustment of the business plan. To obtain useful results for the performance of the company it is also important to combine customer research to make similar research among the staff of the company. The results from the search of customers and staff also indicate the performance of the leadership of the company. The paper conclude that a quality performance depends on a high degree of customer satisfaction.
This paper is about FARMSTAT Portugal, the first Portuguese panel specially designed for agricultural marketing research and opinion studies. Its functional structure is explained, giving emphasis both to implementation functions and routine functions. The process of sample design is carefully described, having in mind the two initial purposes of the panel: market research studies and opinion studies. The methodology used was based upon the design of representative farming systemsâ, with data from last census. Expected areas covered by the panel are presented. After that we go through interviewers selection and farmers recruitment processes, putting emphasis on two items: interviewers profile and delegating farmers choice on the interviewers. The most important adaptations made to the questionnaires as a consequence of Portuguese agriculture conditions are shown, and the reaction of farmers to the questionnaires is discussed. In the end we pass through the most important stages of the process, and give notice of the market research study on agrochemical consumption made in 1995 with FARMSTAT Portugal.
This study was conducted by BVA in the Spring of 1994 in 7 cereal producing regions of the European Union. Farmers were brought together in a total of 8 small focus groups. The participants were comparatively young cereal growers with at least 5 years of experience. They were selected on the basis of factors that included the use of computer- driven management tools, trial use of new products, recent or anticipated investments in additional farm surface, materials or buildings. This pre-selection produced a profile of high-performing, dynamic, innovative forward-looking farmers. The objective of this study was to examine the ways in which these farmers view their future within a context of lower wheat prices and reduced countervailing subsidies, to find out how they expect to remain operationally viable at the technical and economic levels. Given the prospective nature of this research, a group dynamics methodology was used. This technique is optimal under these conditions in that it allows each participant to enrich his or her ideas by reflecting them off others in the group. It offers a wealth of results in terms of research, expectations, needs and innovative ideas. It should be emphasized that the results presented here are valid only for the target population being studied: forward-looking farmers who have relatively extensive farm surfaces.
In the present circumstances and pressure of the environment, it is evident that today's farmers have a new system of values. The aim of this study was to identify and understand the changing attitudes and behaviours of farmers toward seeds and genetic research, since the reform of the CAP. It was to provide the tools to answer the following question: what strategy should the seed channel adopt in order to enhance the image of certified seeds and genetic research?
Russia is a vast agricultural market; even in the current depressed state of the economy, farm inputs represent multi-billion dollar purchases. Consumer market research is developing rapidly, but with interviewers located in the large cities with little appropriateness for rural interviewing. The isolated rural areas, the huge distances, and the problems of infrastructure place great challenges on agricultural research in Russia. This paper examines the application of classic quantitative market research methods and how the difficulties have been overcome in the last few years. The paper presents results from a 1995 450 farm survey concerning arable farms. There are not just the much publicised changes of privatisation and failing economic structures but also the change in attitude of the farming managers. Buying behaviour is changing rapidly, new distributors of farm inputs are appearing. However, the vestiges of the old command system remain, not necessarily in the structure but often in the mentality of the operators. Whilst the path forward does not look totally smooth and simple, there are encouraging signs of new merchant structures emerging and of farm managers gaining a more commercial acumen. As FarmTrak prepares for its third survey in 1996 the investment in training and resources of the market research discipline look well in place.
The decreasing number of farms in France has led the participants of the agricultural knowledge system, i.e. the industrial companies and other organizations to reevaluate their current structures and strategies. The possibility that adaptations of their communications and sales strategies might be necessary, as well as the concentration on one specific type of farmer, the so called agrimanager on the one hand and the type of services they provide within the agricultural knowledge system on the other hand, cause the people involved many problems. With this study, conducted in the Departement Cher, an effort is made to develop assistance for these upcoming decisions. The analysis of the actual knowledge system makes the overlaps and linkage of the involved organizations and companies evident. Further on the information behaviour of the so-called agrimanagers is examined. Their statements will be related to the knowledge system and recommendations for possible adaptations are deducted
There is a growing recognition that successful marketing of food products should take the consumer, the ultimate judge in the market, as point of departure. This will allow producers to add value to their products while consumer needs will be more closely satisfied. As a consequence consumer motivations underlying consumer behaviour have become a central consideration in marketing of food products. Recently, means-end theory with its accompanying laddering research technique has been proposed as a new integrated way to study the relations between consumers and products. According to this approach, consumers choose products because they believe that the specific attributes of the product can help them to achieve desired ends through the consequences or benefits of product-use. This approach offers great potential for consumer oriented marketing for agricultural and food products. This paper describes means-end chain theory and the laddering data collection method, and provides an empirical application to beef. Results of a study in Belgium are reported and it is indicated how these results can serve as a basis for segmentation, product or brand assessment and advertising.