TITLE:
Understanding Consumer Preference for Common Beans from Manifold Viewpoints of Attributes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Ezekiel Swema, Lutengano Mwinuka
KEYWORDS:
Attributes, Common Bean, Consumer Preference, Poisson Regression Model, Stated Preference, Tanzania
JOURNAL NAME:
Theoretical Economics Letters,
Vol.11 No.5,
October
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: Common beans appeal to consumers in different ways.
One important distinction of this nature is with respect to colour, size,
cooking time and gravy quality. When multiple common bean varieties are
exposed, consumers normally select several varieties on the same occasion while
rejecting some of the offerings. Studies that have explicitly assessed factors
underlying such a decision making are confined to demographic and
socio-economic factors while ignoring societal and cultural factors. Ignoring
these factors distort the measured effects and contribute to the failure of
interventions aimed at altering food preferences. This study investigated the
factors incorporative for a better understanding of consumers’ preferences for
common beans. Discrete Choice Experiment was employed in order to elicit
individual preference and uncover how individuals selected common beans with
varying attribute levels using a random sample of 732 respondents. Using
Poisson Regression Model, the results showed that probability of choosing two
common bean types was the highest, although for some consumers, the number of
choices ranged from zero to eight. Highlighted findings are essential for
breeders, farmers and sellers of common beans to become certain on their
decisions. The study recommends that breeding and market development efforts
should primarily focus on unique preferences of consumers whose choices are
predominantly within a narrow range of common beans and hence meeting their
varied demand.