How do consumers view different farming systems?

There is an increasing urgency to improve our global food system, in the face of climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss and more. However, in order for sustainable farming systems to be successful, they need to be accepted consumers, and preferred over alternative conventional systems.

To read the full report visit EIT Food’s website here.

Client:

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food

Brief:

In order to help consumers make sustainable, healthy choices, we need to first understand what their current perceptions are of different agricultural methods. With a comprehensive knowledge of consumer preferences, stakeholders of the different methods can improve their framing and positioning. This will help them reach consumers more effectively.

Our approach:

The aim of this study is to learn how consumers think and feel about four agricultural methods: indoor (vertical), precision, organic and regenerative. Furthermore, in this study we aimed to learn about the importance consumers place on specific aspects of agriculture that affect the food system (e.g. food security, use of resources, biodiversity).

We executed this study on Citizen Participation Forum, an online community of consumers, with 86 community members from 18 countries. As part of the study, they completed online assignments, including forum discussions, questionnaires and photo challenges.

Findings in a nutshell:

About half of European consumers believe that our current farming systems are not resilient enough to handle changes in climate.

When it comes to their own consumption, participants prefer organically and regeneratively produced food. This is linked to the fact that ‘naturalness’ is the most important aspect in food. Food security ranks low on participants’ priorities, which is a reason why currently indoor and precision agriculture are less obvious winners in the eyes of the consumer.

For indoor and precision agriculture to become more widely accepted, the benefits of large-scale production need to be emphasized, as well as the nutritional and health benefits of consuming these products.

Find out more:

Qualitative Research

Strategy & Positioning

We believe that understanding consumers is key to making the food system more sustainable. Successful innovation and impactful communication require a solid foundation of consumer insight.

We are the insights partner of choice for food companies and non-profits that aim to have a positive impact on society and our planet. Together we empower consumers to make food choices that are good for them as well as for the planet.