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Andalusian agriculture, due to its geographical location, is particularly vulnerable to climate change (CC). As the agricultural sector is particularly strategic in Andalusia, it is of vital importance that it is able to undertake the adaptation and mitigation actions required by the climate challenge. The scientific literature in this field shows that farmers who are more aware of the occurrence of CC tend to be more likely to make changes in their cropping systems to adapt to the new climatic conditions. However, there was no specific analysis on the perception of CC by Andalusian farmers. The research carried out has filled this gap, contributing to the analysis of the resilience and vulnerability of the Andalusian agricultural sector to the CC challenge. The objectives were: 1) to determine the degree of perception of CC, as well as the willingness of Andalusian farmers to adopt adaptation strategies, and 2) to determine the factors affecting the perception of CC risks. More than 1000 surveys have been carried out among Andalusian farmers, with a significant sample from each of the following sectors: olive groves, livestock, vineyards, POP crops (cereals, oilseeds and protein crops), crops under plastic and fruit and vegetables. The results allow both a general overview and to discriminate the particularities of each of these sectors. In turn, the results have been presented and discussed in 6 focus groups with representatives of each of these sectors. The main results are that the perception of the occurrence of CC is evident among the Andalusian farming community. The main predictors of the willingness to adapt to CC are the belief in its occurrence, the farmer's values related to sustainability and the perception of the risks associated with CC. Other predictors are having experienced adverse CC-related events in recent years, the likelihood of generational replacement, the share of farm income in total income, the size and technological level of farms and the use of new technologies by the farm owner. The willingness to adopt adaptation measures and the main barriers to doing so have also been identified. These results can help in the formulation of policies that contribute to greater adaptation and resilience of Andalusian agriculture to CC.

This research analyses consumer behaviour related to the purchase of handmade and locally made agrifood products in Western Honduras (Occidental Region). A relational model was built, and structural equation modelling (SEM) by means of variance-based partial least squares (PLS) path modelling was applied. The existence of a mediator variable was also examined. The results showed that the consumption of handmade and locally made agrifood products increases for consumers who read nutrition labels and health claim information and for those with higher income and who are younger.

Attribute non-attendance (ANA) has received very little attention in the context of willingness to accept (WTA), although an increasing number of studies analyze the preferences of ecosystem service providers towards incentive-based schemes. We add to the understanding of ANA behavior by analyzing stated and inferred ANA in a choice experiment investigating farmers’ WTA for participating in agri-environmental schemes (AES) in southern Spain. We use mixed logit models, following Hess and Hensher (2010) for the inferred ANA approach. Evidence is found of ANA behavior for both stated and inferred approaches, with models accounting for ANA clearly outperforming those that do not account for it; however, we produce no conclusive results as to which ANA approach is best. WTA estimates are only moderately affected, which to some extent is consistent with the low level of non-attendance found for the monetary attribute. Stated and inferred approaches show very similar WTA estimates. Additionally, we investigate sources of observed heterogeneity related to ANA behavior by using a sequence of bivariate probit models for each attribute. Overall, our results hint at a positive relationship between ease of scheme adoption and non-attendance to attributes. However, further research is still needed in this field.

Salazar-Ordóñez, M., Rodríguez-Entrena, M., Cabrera, E. R., & Henseler, J. (2018). Understanding product differentiation failures: The role of product knowledge and brand credence in olive oil markets. Food Quality and Preference, 68, 146-155. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.02.010 This paper tries to shed light on a key question for different foodstuffs: why are product differentiation strategies far from successful in some agri-food markets? Undoubtedly, understanding consumer behaviour in situations where product differentiation failures occur is essential to resolving this issue. To that end, we built a theoretical model to analyse the roles played by both consumer information and inferences made from informational stimuli, given their potential relevance to the differentiation process. We thus examined consumer knowledge structures and brand credence related to attitudes toward a particular foodstuff and a product alternative, as well as the actual consumption of the foodstuff. The theoretical model was tested by an empirical application, using variance-based structural equation modelling (SEM) with the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm. Results showed that attitudes to both products explained the relative consumption of the foodstuff under study. In addition, product knowledge influenced consumers’ attitude towards the foodstuff and its consumption, but not the attitude towards the product alternative. On the contrary, the higher the brand equity of the product alternative, the better the attitude towards it. In addition, this factor was shown to have an impact on the attitude towards and consumption of the foodstuff. Therefore, those variables are key to explaining consumer behaviour in such agri-food markets, where increasing consumers’ knowledge and creating consumer-based brand equity seem to be appropriate strategies to improve the differentiation process. publishersversion published

The objective of this paper is to improve the understanding of attribute non-attendance (ANA) in a choice experiment (CE) investigating farmers’ WTA for participating in agri-environmental schemes in southern Spain. Evidence is found of ANA behaviour for both stated and inferred approaches, with models accounting for ANA clearly outperforming those that do not account for it; however, we produce no conclusive results as to which ANA approach is best. In addition, we investigate sources of observed heterogeneity related to ANA behaviour, our results hinting at a positive relationship between ease of scheme adoption and non-attendance to attributes.

[ES]El presente trabajo realiza una valoración económica de la provisión de bienes públicos (BBPP) por parte del olivar de montaña en Andalucía empleando experimentos de elección. Los re-sultados reflejan un comportamiento diferencial del productor en función del grado de exigencia, con compensaciones modestas para escenarios de producción integrada (menor de 80 €/ha), y notables para los escenarios de producción ecológica reforzada y de vocación neta de provisión de BBPP (superiores a 300 €/ha). Se muestra asimismo la escasa relevancia que presenta la inclusión de una prima adicional por resultados. [EN]We carried out an economic valuation of public goods (PGs) provided by Andalusian mountainous olive groves using choice experiments. The results show varying farmers’ behaviour depending on the level of stringency of the requirements included in agri-environmental schemes, with willingness to accept (WTA) lower than € 80/ha for less stringent scenarios (such as those associated with integrate production) and WTA higher than € 300/ha for the most stringent scenario (designed to maximise the provision of environmental PGs). The study also indicates that the inclusion of a results-based bonus has a low relevance.