Perceptions of Southern Mindanao Farmers On the Quality of Temperate Vegetables

In Barangay Kapatagan, Digos City, Southern Mindanao Philippines, vegetable farmers hold a specific worldview on what quality vegetables are. This paper aims to define this worldview, compare this with expectations of marketing intermediaries down the vegetable supply chain, and assess the gaps between these views. Discrepancies between and among the definitions of the different groups affect the entire chain because of incompatible decisions in production, marketing and quality management. These decisions contribute to the efficiency or inefficiency of the entire chain. IntroductionCrop Production/Industries, Productivity Analysis,

Consumers’ Perceptions on Food Safety of Vegetables in Davao City, Philippines

The food safety issue has become a public health priority. Serious outbreaks have been reported over the past few decades because of eating unsafe food. Food-borne diseases such as Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad-cow disease) pose a serious threat to consumers. However, there is a dearth of study of consumer perceptions in the Philippines regarding food safety of vegetables. Therefore, this study investigated how consumers define food safety and analyzed their purchasing habits. A household survey of 300 respondents, 100 each from low-, middle-, and high-income groups, was conducted. The study selected ampalaya (bitter gourd), pechay (bok choy), and lettuce for the valuation scenario since these vegetables are more exposed to pesticides. We found that all income groups are more concerned with the visual appeal of the vegetables. This included the appearance, freshness, cleanliness, and presence of physical damages. The low-income group bought vegetables from the wet market at least twice a week and has less awareness of food safety. The low-income respondents were price conscious and had the highest average quantity of ampalaya purchased (0.69 kg). They rarely bought lettuce and were not particular on the food safety labels and brand names. Meanwhile, the middle-income group purchase vegetables from the wet market and supermarket weekly. This income group bought the highest average quantity of pechay (0.48 kg) and lettuce (0.72 kg). They defined food safety as “clean vegetables,” and some have started to be food safety conscious by purchasing vegetables that are organic, food safety labelled, and well packaged. Similarly, majority of the high-income group bought vegetables from the supermarket weekly and were more concerned about food safety. They defined food safety as “proper food handling” and thought that food safety in vegetables meant naturally grown, organic, and chemical/pesticide-free vegetables. Based on the results, vendors should wash vegetables to take away residues such as dirt and biotic and nonbiotic contaminants to satisfy consumers’ expectations and to generate consumer loyalty. The results of the study show that for the wet market, transactions in volumes should be continued and enhanced to provide low prices for the consumers. For the supermarket, innovation in food products can be done through the inclusion of food safety labels and certifications in the packaging of the vegetables sold

The Politics and Materiality of Coordination: Philippine Village Leaders Responding to the Spread of a Global Plant Disease in Banana

Leadership is the process of directing and influencing, and it involves taking actions and producing change, in both informal and formal settings. In the Philippines, there are village leaders elected in a political position. Barangays (villages) are the smallest political administrative unit in the country and are led by a barangay captain. This paper investigates leadership, not only as an exclusive result of politics and social structures, but relates it to the problem-solving practices and managing interdependencies modified by a global plant disease in banana. The Philippine banana industry caters to both domestic and export markets, making it an important economic commodity. A virulent global plant disease in banana, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4), is threatening the producers in Philippine villages. Case studies of village leaders examine their actions in relation to nonconstituents, particularly with the Foc threat. Settings were four villages where export-oriented banana companies were present, mingling with local players. The common denominators in all these villages were the presence of export-oriented banana plantation and recorded incidence of Foc. The village leaders’ handling of the gravity and importance of problem still leaned largely on how their political influencers perceived the problem. The multinational companies, on the other hand, were not able to fully articulate the importance of the problem to the village leaders. These companies kept much of their researches and studies to themselves and shared only what was necessary. As a result, the village did not have complete information on how to treat or understand the problem

Coordination and Risk in the Philippine Banana Industry: Conditions for Responding to Panama Disease

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 is a disease that traverses political, economic, geographical, and social boundaries and confronts the fragmented and highly polarized banana industry. Furthermore, the nature of TR4 has many uncertainties and unknowns. This paper investigated conditions for coordination in responding to TR4 risk. A qualitative case study of two villages in Davao del Norte, a major producing area in the Philippines with TR4 occurrence, was done to provide a contextual and in-depth analysis. Results showed that there was coordination between actors with longer working or personal relationships. They shared a common language for identifying problems and defining risks and communicate beyond the boundaries of their own organizations. There were visible signs of alliances between private and public domains in their handling of TR4 uncertainties. Actors have an urgency to react to TR4 impacts by accommodating multiple solutions. The enabling conditions for coordination identified were long-term relations forged outside the organizations/industry alliances and examination and the recognition of unknown TR4 characteristics, thus forging emerging research and information sharing. The constraints included polarization rooted from unequal access to land, blaming, and the isolated experiments and advocacy for single solutions. In conclusion, there was low coordination in responding to disease risk because of the blaming and diversities in solutions. However, there was an emerging coordination that built on social relations and deliberate efforts to bring parties together from the public and private sectors. The industry has to adapt, settle, and manage its differences to collectively address the banana disease risk

Vegetable Purchase Patterns of Consumers in Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines

The goal to increase farm productivity, attain food security and safety, and alleviate poverty among smallholder farmers has urged government and nongovernment organizations in the Philippines to develop and promote organic and safe vegetables. While these products are healthier and safer, previous studies have proven that these are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. A mall intercept using a structured questionnaire was conducted to survey 240 respondents in Davao City and 110 respondents in Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) in Southern Philippines. This is a qualitative research that aims to provide information about the current vegetable purchase patterns of consumers in both study areas and to identify its implications and opportunities for organic and safe vegetable producers. Results show that more than 50% of the respondents in both cities purchase vegetables in wet markets and supermarkets on a weekly basis. In terms of expenditure on vegetables, 85% of the respondents in CDO and 74% of the respondents in Davao City have expenditure on vegetables of at most PhP500 per week. The majority of consumers in both cities buy vegetables mostly from wet markets because vegetables are sold at a lower price, are fresher, and there is wider product assortment. Consumers in Davao City and CDO buy vegetables from supermarkets because of convenience and cleanliness, respectively. They purchase mostly tomatoes, eggplants, and cabbages. Based on previous studies, these vegetable purchase patterns of consumers have not changed for over ten years. Thus, this challenges organic and safe vegetable producers, as well as other vegetable industry stakeholders, to produce cheap but high-quality vegetables

Food Safety Concerns of Vegetable Consumers in Davao City, Philippines

Food safety has become a growing concern among vegetable consumers. Studies have shown changes in the purchasing pattern of consumers due to food safety concerns. In developed countries, food quality and safety have become increasingly important attributes being considered due to food-borne diseases. In this paper, we determined the consumers’ level of food safety concern at various stages along the vegetable value chain and analyzed how it affects their purchase patterns. We conducted a mall intercept survey among 240 respondents at two supermarkets in Davao City, Philippines, using a structured questionnaire and organized focus group discussions (FGDs) to triangulate our findings. Slovin’s formula was used to determine the sample size. Results showed that most of the consumers were extremely concerned with the amount of chemicals used in vegetable production, cleanliness of storage conditions, retail and entire market outlet, disposal of waste vegetables, quality of vegetables used in presliced packs, and quality of water used in washing vegetables. Ironically, despite their high level of concern on food safety, particularly on chemical residues, most of the respondents always purchase conventional vegetables and never purchase certified organic vegetables. This can be attributed to the wide price difference of certified organic and conventional vegetables. Based on FGD results, consumers emphasized the importance of certification as an assurance of safety. However, consumers demand that food quality and safety assurance should be delivered at a reasonable price. The challenge for stakeholders in the vegetable supply chains is to reduce the cost of certification while ensuring food safety and traceability along the chain

Willingness to Pay for Certified Safe Vegetables in Davao City, Philippines

Safe vegetable production is being practiced in the Philippines to address food safety concerns on vegetables. In this study, we assessed the viability of producing and marketing certified safe vegetables in Davao City by estimating consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for certified safe vegetables and analyzing the factors affecting it. The determinants of the consumer decision whether to purchase certified safe vegetables and WTP for certified safe vegetables were analyzed using logistic and Tobit regression, respectively. We found that most consumers in Davao City are willing to purchase (ranging from 82% to 91%) certified safe vegetables. The factors that significantly affect the likelihood of a consumer to purchase certified safe vegetables at the wet market are civil status, educational attainment, and frequency of purchase and the factors that significantly affect the likelihood of a consumer to purchase certified safe vegetables at the supermarket are gender and vegetable expense. On the average, Davao City consumers are willing to pay an additional PhP6.00/kg and PhP5.50/kg on top of the regular retail price for certified safe vegetables sold at the wet market and supermarket, respectively. These findings imply that there is a market for certified safe vegetables in Davao City as indicated by the consumers’ willingness to purchase and willingness to pay. However, it should be noted that these consumers are willing to pay only a small premium above regular retail prices. Vegetable farmers and marketers can capitalize on this opportunity, but the cost of producing and marketing certified safe vegetables must not exceed its potential benefits

The Roles of Vegetable Value Chain Actors in the Changing Agri-food System: The Case of Davao City, Philippines

Several studies have shown that the retail food industry has been expanding and that consumers have changed their purchase patterns and preferences over time. These challenge vegetable value chain actors to respond to such trends. Hence, this study seeks to examine how players in the chain respond to the changes in the agri-food system, document the changes in the roles of vegetable value chain actors, and identify implications for smallholder producers. One to three interviews were conducted for each of the 15 types of vegetable value chain actors in Davao City, Southern Philippines, which totals 37 key informant interviews. The respondents were asked regarding vegetable industry trends, their roles and functions, their volume and quality requirements, and their willingness to source directly from farmer groups. A survey was also conducted among 60 vegetable farmers in Davao City to assess their roles in the chain. Farmers’ socio-demographic profiles and production and marketing practices were gathered. This study reveals that the layers in the chains have reduced because wholesalers have started to perform forward integration by producing vegetables, moving closer to the production sites, financing vegetable production to establish a strong supply base, and strengthening relationship with suppliers and buyers. Smallholder producers, on the other hand, remain to be heavily dependent on financiers. There are, however, opportunities for smallholder producers, such as organizing themselves into groups to market collectively, share risks, and take advantage of economies of scale and improving production to ensure that they produce better quality vegetables and become more competitive

Analyzing Market-based Opportunities in the Mango Supply Chain of Davao City: A Rapid Market Assessment

Products and services become meaningful when available and positioned from the customer’s perspective. Exploring the supply chain of mango in Davao City, Southern Philippines, unveils different nodes having different characteristics and buying requirements. We analyzed market-based opportunities in the mango supply chain to inform mango producers which attractive markets they should prioritize as well as identified opportunities for improvement in production and marketing. We utilized a rapid market assessment (RMA) approach to identify the different market nodes and their characteristics. Snowball sampling was used to determine the respondents for this study. A total of 28 face-to-face interviews were done using a semi-structured questionnaire. From the producers’ point of view, we assess the relative attractiveness of the nodes by employing a simple scoring method on the data on volume of requirement, buying price (at the time of interview), support services provided to farmers, and stage of node life cycle. Results show that the exporters’ node has the highest attractiveness score followed by direct wholesalers, primary wholesalers, and processors. We recommend the following practical suggestions for producer groups to target these attractive markets: (1) improve overall quality of mangoes; (2) perform sorting and grading; (3) adopt cost-effective postharvest technology; and (4) develop cost-effective off-season production farming system

Triose Phosphate Isomerase Deficiency Is Caused by Altered Dimerization–Not Catalytic Inactivity–of the Mutant Enzymes

Triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by various mutations in the gene encoding the key glycolytic enzyme TPI. A drastic decrease in TPI activity and an increased level of its substrate, dihydroxyacetone phosphate, have been measured in unpurified cell extracts of affected individuals. These observations allowed concluding that the different mutations in the TPI alleles result in catalytically inactive enzymes. However, despite a high occurrence of TPI null alleles within several human populations, the frequency of this disorder is exceptionally rare. In order to address this apparent discrepancy, we generated a yeast model allowing us to perform comparative in vivo analyses of the enzymatic and functional properties of the different enzyme variants. We discovered that the majority of these variants exhibit no reduced catalytic activity per se. Instead, we observed, the dimerization behavior of TPI is influenced by the particular mutations investigated, and by the use of a potential alternative translation initiation site in the TPI gene. Additionally, we demonstrated that the overexpression of the most frequent TPI variant, Glu104Asp, which displays altered dimerization features, results in diminished endogenous TPI levels in mammalian cells. Thus, our results reveal that enzyme deregulation attributable to aberrant dimerization of TPI, rather than direct catalytic inactivation of the enzyme, underlies the pathogenesis of TPI deficiency. Finally, we discovered that yeast cells expressing a TPI variant exhibiting reduced catalytic activity are more resistant against oxidative stress caused by the thiol-oxidizing reagent diamide. This observed advantage might serve to explain the high allelic frequency of TPI null alleles detected among human populations