Abstract
A lack of public trust in farmers can impede having a food production system that is functional and socially acceptable. It can also lead to stricter and unfounded regulations on farming practices that limit farmers and even influence the viability and social sustainability of farms. Therefore, we examine the public image of farmers and the agriculture sector through a survey of 481 participants from the German-speaking part of Switzerland. We assess consumers’ trust in crop and livestock production farmers, as well as their perceived knowledge and affect toward farmers. Other individual and behavioral factors are identified to build trust in farmers. The results reveal that the public has a simplistic and traditional view of agriculture and farmers, as they do not spontaneously associate them with new farming practices or technologies. However, crop farmers are more trusted than livestock production farmers, with concerns related to the transparency of farmers, care for the environment, and animal welfare. Trust in crop and livestock farmers is influenced by affect toward farmers, perceived knowledge and political orientations, whereas behavioral factors (i.e., meat consumption) only influence trust in livestock production farmers. Moreover, there is a positive correlation between purchasing at farms and trust in farmers, showing that building trust in farmers may need to be more personal and relational than systemic. Overall, our results provide suggestions on how to build and maintain public trust in both crop and livestock farmers through farmers’ initiatives and agricultural policies.
Presenters
Rita SalehSenior Researcher, Agroscope, Federal Department of Economy, Education, and Research, Agroscope, Switzerland
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Economic, Social, and Cultural Context
KEYWORDS
TRUST, LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION, CROP PRODUCTION, SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
