Commercial aquaponics approaching the european market: to consumers’ perceptions of aquaponics products in europe

Milicic, Vesna; Thorarinsdottir, Ragnheidur; Dos Santos, Maria José Palma Lampreia; Hančič, Maja Turnšek

Publication

Commercial aquaponics approaching the european market: to consumers’ perceptions of aquaponics products in europe

2017-02Journal article

dc.contributor.author	Milicic, Vesna
dc.contributor.author	Thorarinsdottir, Ragnheidur
dc.contributor.author	Dos Santos, Maria José Palma Lampreia
dc.contributor.author	Hančič, Maja Turnšek
dc.date.accessioned	2017-12-28T07:48:53Z
dc.date.available	2017-12-28T07:48:53Z
dc.date.issued	2017-02
dc.description.abstract	The first commercial aquaponics companies are starting up in Europe. The main focus has been on solving technology issues and optimizing production. However, increasing attention is now being paid to certification and regulations linked to aquaponics, as well as the marketing of products and services. The paper presents the results of a study whose main aim was to estimate consumers’ knowledge about aquaponics and their acceptance of aquaponics products in different European regions. An on-line questionnaire was administered to the general public through the aquaponics network of Food and Agriculture COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action FA1305 “The EU Aquaponics Hub—Realising Sustainable Integrated Fish and Vegetable Production for the EU” in 16 European countries. The methodology includes univariate and multivariate statistical techniques. The results show that, on average, attitudes towards aquaponics were positive, showing no significant differences between those who already knew about aquaponics and those who only heard about it through the survey. More than 50% of respondents had never heard of aquaponics, whilst more than 70% had already heard of hydroponics. No more than 17% of respondents were willing to pay more for aquaponically produced products and no more than 40% more when compared to the price of products from conventional farming. The results confirm three different clusters of potential consumers of aquaponics products. They also suggest an urgent need for implementing integrated and holistic approaches involving all stakeholders in aquaponics, in order to define a marketing plan and efficient communication strategies. This COST action, other projects and public decision makers must invest in educating consumers about aquaponics through the organization of guided tours, thematic workshops and tastings of aquaponics products in order to raise their awareness about this new technology. It is absolutely urgent that public decision makers, in cooperation with aquaponics stakeholders, address the main institutional constraints, namely the introduction of aquaponics as an economic activity and the organic certification of aquaponics products.	en
dc.description.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion	pt_PT
dc.identifier.citation	MILICIC, Vesna [et.al.] - Commercial aquaponics approaching the european market: to consumers’ perceptions of aquaponics products in europe. “Water”. Basel (Switzerland): MDPI. ISSN 2073-4441. 9 (2):80 (feb 2017).	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.3390/w9020080	pt_PT
dc.identifier.issn	2073-4441
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/7818
dc.language.iso	eng	pt_PT
dc.peerreviewed	yes	pt_PT
dc.publisher	MDPI	pt_PT
dc.relation.publisherversion	http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/9/2/80	pt_PT
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/	pt_PT
dc.subject	Questionnaire	en
dc.subject	Aquaponics products	en
dc.subject	Consumers	en
dc.subject	Consumers’ preferences	en
dc.subject	Organic certification	en
dc.subject	Market analysis	en
dc.subject	Education	en
dc.subject	Multivariate statistics	en
dc.subject	Europe	en
dc.title	Commercial aquaponics approaching the european market: to consumers’ perceptions of aquaponics products in europe	en
dc.type	journal article
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	Basel, Switzerland	pt_PT
oaire.citation.title	Water	pt_PT
person.familyName	Dos-Santos
person.givenName	Maria José Palma Lampreia
person.identifier.ciencia-id	011D-55C7-976C
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-1992-0419
person.identifier.scopus-author-id	56107451000
rcaap.rights	openAccess	pt_PT
rcaap.type	article	pt_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublication	9c5ce6f5-82dd-4b62-a817-ba31598a3eac
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	9c5ce6f5-82dd-4b62-a817-ba31598a3eac