Factors driving Thailand rice farmer decision-making in the choice of marketing channel

PurposeSince the end of the latest rice-pledging scheme, Thai rice farmers have had more freedom in selecting marketing channels. Understanding the determinants of farmers' decision-making associated with these channels is of particular interest to multiple stakeholders in the rice value chain. This study aims to examine how economic, relational and psychological factors concurrently underpin Thai rice farmers' decision-making and influence their marketing channel choice.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the theory of reasoned action and utility maximization of farmers’ decision making, this study used structural equation modeling to examine data collected from a nationwide sample of Thai rice farmers (n = 637), focusing on their past and intentional use of the three major marketing channels for paddy rice.FindingsThe determinants identified include four direct independent variables: attitude, subjective norm (social referents), transaction conditions and economic goals, and two indirect independent variables: past behavior and trust. Multi-group analysis suggests that rice co-operative users were more empowered to consider economic goals and attitude toward the channel, whilst rice miller and local collector users were more likely to be influenced by their social referents and the transaction conditions offered by the channel.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the need for policy to address trust and transparency issues with intermediaries and to empower farmers through the improvement of market access.Originality/valueThe study makes a unique and substantive contribution to the knowledge of farmers' decision-making about marketing channel choice in Thailand and theoretically contributes to the indirect role of past behavior in predicting prospective intention.

A Focus Group Study of Canadian Dairy Farmers' Attitudes and Social Referents on Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance

As part of broader actions to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), health authorities have promoted the reduction of antimicrobial use (AMU) in food animals. Farmers' attitudes and receptivity to reduction of AMU appear to be variable and context specific. Our research objectives were to gain insight into Canadian dairy farmers' attitudes toward AMU, AMR, and AMU-reduction in the dairy industry, and to explore drivers and barriers to change AMU, including the influence of social referents. We conducted seven focus groups with 42 farmers in two provinces of Canada (New Brunswick and Ontario) and used thematic analysis to identify, analyze, and report patterns in the data. Our results indicate that farmers usually rely on their previous experience and judgement of individual cases of disease when making decisions related to AMU. External referents included other farmers, family members, and veterinarians. However, veterinarians were generally only consulted for unusual cases. Participants in this study expressed that maintaining cattle welfare is their responsibility, and that they were not willing to jeopardize animal welfare in order to reduce AMU. In addition, farmers regarded the cost of investment in improved facilities to prevent disease as an important barrier to reduce AMU. Finally, the majority of participants considered themselves to be low users of antimicrobials and perceived a small role of AMU on dairy farms in AMR. In conclusion, farmers from this study showed self-reliance to decide about AMU on their farms and considered animal-related and economic factors in these decisions. There was a general lack of knowledge of how to reduce AMU without investing in facilities, and there is an opportunity to motivate increased involvement of the veterinarian in AMU-related decisions. These results should be considered to design and refine antimicrobial stewardship programs for dairy farms.

El lenguaje de las rotulaciones de establecimientos comerciales en las ciudades contemporáneas. Los casos de Almería, Łódź y Tarrasa

El artículo analiza el paisaje lingüístico de la cartelería pública en las ciudades de Almería, Łódź y Tarrasa (Barcelona). En concreto, se ocupa de los letreros comerciales relacionada con el deporte. Se ha elegido el deporte por ser uno de los grandes referentes sociales en la actualidad. Ese análisis contrastivo demuestra el predominio de nombres internacionales. Esa tendencia supera incluso la legislación lingüística que defiende el uso de lenguas vernáculas. Se trata, pues, de una situación que reproduce los procesos de globalización del mundo actual. La experiencia empírica ha permitido también tratar algunas cuestiones teóricas y metodológicas relacionadas con el estudio del paisaje lingüístico. The article analyses the linguistic landscape of public signage in the cities of Almería, Łódź and Tarrasa (Barcelona). In particular, it deals with commercial signs related to sport The sport has been chosen because it is one of the great social referents nowadays. Contrastive analysis shows the predominance of international names. This tendency even exceeds the linguistic legislation that defends the use of vernacular languages. It is, then, a situation that reproduces the globalization processes of the current world. The empirical experience has also allowed to deal with some theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of the linguistic landscape.

Predicting Ghanaian farmers’ intention to sustain the supply of quality cocoa beans

This article discusses the predictors of Ghanaian cocoa producers’ intention to continue adopting a recommended cocoa beanfermentation technology in the future. The analyses is carried out within the framework of the theory of planned behaviour.Three hundred and twenty-one cocoa producers were interviewed. Consistent with literature, attitudes, subjective norms andpast behaviour were significant predictors of fermentation intentions. Positive attitude relate to beliefs about ease of use oftechnologies and existence of non-financial rewards. Negative attitudes relate to lack of direct financial rewards. PurchasingClerks, Chief Farmers and society at large were found to be the salient social referents who shape producers’ fermentationintentions. Recommendations included improving implementation of current producer incentive regimes, promoting trust betweenproducers and purchasing clerks and strengthening producer association to increase the sphere of influence of the Chief Farmers.

Social Comparison and Learning From Others

Using social comparison theory as an overarching perspective, we review the literature on learning from others’ experience. We examine how social referents are chosen, based on (1) different cues—structural, cognitive, affective, social, or external cues; and (2) different motivations—self-assessment, self-enhancement, or self-improvement. We highlight the usefulness of considering these cues for reference group selection, in predicting the likelihood, the type, and the level of learning. We describe several challenges in predicting learning outcomes based on motives alone. Taken together, we call for more understanding of different cues and bases of social comparison, alongside consideration of motivation, to better understand from whom actors can learn and what can be learned from them.