Farm productivity and social sustainability are essential to realizing agro-based value chains’ full potential. This paper aims to empirically conduct an analysis of the impact of formal value chain governance practices on farm productivity and social sustainability in Pakistan's potato industry. A multi-stage sampling method was employed from 10 villages to examine growers’ motivations to adopt the contract and its effect on their income and farm employment. The main findings of this study stipulate that buyers’ technical assistance and provision of quality inputs are the growers’ primary motives for contracting, non-contracted farms earned 40% less than contracted farms from each unit invested, contracted farms employed more labor with better wages, and welfare arrangements than the non-contracting farms. The study concluded that formal value chain governance practices significantly affect farm productivity and social sustainability and can spur growth in the agricultural sector in developing countries. The results reveal that any governmental initiative aiming to support formal value chain governance should consider the role that intermediaries play in the value chain and accordingly minimize their risks and food losses and improve social outcomes.

The study identified value preferences of consumers at aggregate and segment level for suggesting upgrading measures to public and private stakeholders in tomato value chains in Pakistan. To this end, a consumer survey was conducted in three cities – Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. Using an interview schedule, data were collected through personal interviews of 275 tomato consumers at different retail outlets of vegetables. Results of the study revealed differences in consumption and purchase preferences of tomato consumers. Based on preferences for tomato quality attributes, hierarchical cluster analysis identified three segments labelled as rational, value seekers and indifferent consumers. While rational consumers preferred few basic quality attributes, the value seekers considered most of the quality attributes important in their purchase decisions. Indifferent consumers were concerned with merely using tomato as an essential ingredient for meal preparation. The study suggested that higher consumer value and returns can be captured through consumer driven improvements in production and marketing practices and collaboration and information sharing among chain participants. Relevant public-sector institutions are also required to incorporate consumer requirements in their policies and actions plans for the development of tomato value chains in Pakistan. Key words: Value preferences, Consumer segments, Tomatoes, Cluster analysis, Value chains.

ISHS XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposia on Postharvest Knowledge for the Future and Consumer and Sensory Driven Improvements to Fruits and Nuts Mango value preferences of consumers in Pakistan

Agripreneurship is a new buzzword in the discourse on economic development. It is a new global idea aiming to change agriculture from a subsistence sector to a competitive business. The primary objective of this study is to document the level of knowledge of young agripreneurs. The study also assesses factors that stimulated their interest in initiating agribusiness ventures in The Gambia. To achieve this, survey data were collected from 384 young agripreneurs using a self-administered questionnaire in five agricultural zones in the Gambia. Data were analyzed using descriptive factor and k-mean cluster analyses. The findings indicated that the respondents had a medium knowledge of all agripreneurial behavioral components used in the study. Based on the push-pull anchor framework, we found that young agripreneurs about family misfortune, lack of job opportunities, dismissal from the previous job, poverty (push factors), low financial status, economic independence and the pursuit of self-actualization (push factors), opportunities in agriculture and the encouragement from the government (mooring factors) all play a significant role in the motivation to pursue agripreneurship. Furthermore, the results of the cluster analysis revealed four distinct groups of young farmers: ambitious agripreneurs, financial reward seekers, agribusiness lovers, and social protectors. Kruskal Wallis and post hoc tests indicated statistically significant differences between groupings. These findings suggest that for policymakers to understand the potential of the agripreneurship sector, it is a need to pay close attention to the level of knowledge and motivations of agripreneurs in order to design appropriate policies for greater participation of youth in agripreneurship. Implications for theory, as well as limitations and potential future directions, were discussed.

Rising food security and safety concerns in developing countries have highlighted the importance of establishing efficient and dependable food distribution systems, which necessitate a thorough understanding of consumers and their needs. Thus, this study unravels consumer segments, their preferences, and socio-economic composition so that stakeholders in Pakistan’s mandarin (locally known as Kinnow) industry can improve their practices and supply consumers’ desired quality. Primary data were collected through an intercept survey of 540 mandarin consumers in four major cities of Pakistan. Collected data were subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis, Mean ANOVA, and Post-Hoc tests for consumer segmentation and profiling. The study classified consumers into three groups: ‘value seekers’ (45.74%), ‘Kinnow lovers’ (26.85%), and ‘perfectionists’ (27.41%) related to their choice of various attributes of fresh mandarin fruits. The three segments significantly differed in their preferences for quality attributes, consumption and purchase preferences, and socio-economic composition. The study highlights the implications of understanding consumer preferences and market segmentation for private and public stakeholders in the mandarin industry. The existence of consumer segments with distinct quality preferences urges value chain actors to upgrade and align their practices with consumer requirements. The study findings provide insights for deciding relevant crop/cultivar mix with due consideration to geographically distinct consumer segments and land suitability. The findings may also be useful to relevant public-sector institutions in developing policies and programs for the development of the horticultural industries in Pakistan.