Agro-food Marketing and Consumer Behaviour

Department of Agricultural Economics< Faculty of Bioscience Engineering

Personnel

• Jacques Viaene (agricultural economics, extension and sociology)
• Guido Van Huylenbroeck (farm management, agricultural policy and environmental economics)
• Wim Verbeke (agro-food marketing and consumer behaviour)
• Luc D’Haese (agricultural economics of developing countries and rural development)
• Xavier Gellynck (agro-food marketing, business-to-business and chain management)
• 4 postdoctoral researchers
• 25 research assistants and PhD researchers

Activities

The research at the department of agricultural economics can be divided in three core disciplines relating to marketing of agricultural and food products, agricultural policy and rural development, and agricultural economics in developing countries. Within the discipline of marketing of agricultural and food products, major research disciplines are consumer behaviour, price-determination factors, international marketing, product development, direct marketing of farm products, quality and chain management and the efficiency of promotion campaigns for agricultural and food products. Specific attention is paid to: consumer acceptance of primary production methods and end products, issues relating to competitiveness at sectorial and private business level, cost-benefit analyses, and economic issues relating to innovation in food production and processing.

Within the research discipline of agricultural policy and rural development, issues of investigation pertain to sustainable production, organic production, organization of environmentally friendly food chains, food product labeling, multifunctionality, agriculture in urbanized areas and the effects of environmental policy measures. This research field focuses mainly on the relation and interactions between the farm and the political and rural environment and the consequences of these external interactions for the management of the farm. Research topics are amongst others the influence of the Common Agricultural Policy, the farm economy and structural impacts of environment and zoning policies, the possibilities for diversification in the agrarian sector, rural policy and rural development, with the focus on “sustainability”.

With respect to LDC’s, research is conducted about the efficiency of rural development projects, farming systems, co-operatives and international trade. Issues of particular interest pertain to the analysis of poverty reduction policies and water management and allocation issues in agricultural production in developing countries.

Although most of the aforementioned activities have historically concentrated on problems facing agricultural production, including crop and terrestrial livestock production, the scope has gradually extended into problems facing fisheries and aquaculture production as well.

Most particularly, research has been performed recently with respect to management practices in aquaculture production, as well as to issues relating to consumer acceptance of seafood production and products have occupied a prominent position within the discipline of food consumer science. The department is actively involved in the EC Sixth Framework Programme Integrated Project SEAFOODplus and the Coordination Action CONSENSUS. Besides involvement in these international consortia focusing mainly on research, the department of agricultural economics is also involved in the EC Thematic Network AQUA-TNET.

The SEAFOODplus project is a joint research project including about 70 partners from 16 countries that aims at reducing health problems and increasing the well-being among European consumers by applying the benefits obtained from consumption of health promoting and safe seafood products of high eating quality. The department of agricultural economics is involved in the consumer issues pillar, and is responsible for the research project on seafood information and communication. This entails research activities related to consumer perception of seafood products (among others, farmed versus wild fish), consumer need for information about seafood, and consumer interest in seafood traceability.
The main aim of CONSENSUS is to ensure that sustainability becomes normal practice in the aquaculture industry in terms of the environment, social contribution and economic success into the future. Another major role of CONSENSUS is to demonstrate to consumers the health benefits of eating fish and shellfish grown in sustainable conditions. The latter is where the department of agricultural economics fits in. Our involvement mainly pertains to the consumer issues, more specifically developing and testing information messages designed to inform consumers about the true sustainability characteristics of aquaculture production in Europe.

Contact

• Websites
  • http://www.agecon.ugent.be
  • http://www.seafoodplus.org
  • http://www.euraquaculture.info
  • http://www.aquatnet.com
• Email:
  • Wim.Verbeke@UGent.be

• tel: +32 9 264 6181 (Prof. W. Verbeke) or secretariat 32 9 264 5930
• fax: +32 9 264 6246

• Mailing address:
  • Department of Agricultural Economics, Coupure links 653, B-9000 Gent