Factors influencing vegetable cooperatives’ selection of marketing channels in Beijing

Abstract

Purpose

The selection of marketing channels by vegetable producers directly affects the income of producers and is important for the maintenance of a stable supply of vegetables and food control. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to investigate the cooperative selection of vegetable marketing channels; to identify the factors that influence the selection of marketing channels by professional vegetable cooperatives by comparing emerging and traditional circulation modes; and to solve the problems related to vegetable circulation channels in Beijing.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 187 valid questionnaires were collected from seven main vegetable production districts in Beijing urban areas from September to December 2017, with a response rate of 89 percent. Binary logistic regression was used for analysis in this study.

Findings

Results revealed that the cooperatives mainly selected large wholesalers, wholesale markets, supermarkets and electronic commerce as their marketing channels for their vegetables. Estimation results showed that among the 18 influencing factors in the four categories, the educational level of the person in charge and some other factors significantly influence the selection of these four distribution channels by the cooperatives.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the lack of time and energy, this paper does not analyze the factors influencing a cooperative’s choice of different e-commerce platforms. If this problem can be solved, it will definitely promote the development of e-commerce in rural areas.

Originality/value

The results obtained in the present study and their implications could help policy makers establish a science-based and reasonable policy to encourage vegetable producers to participate in the new circulation modes of vegetables in Beijing and ensure their income in the vegetable supply chain. This study suggests methods to improve the vegetable sector in other cities facing similar issues.

Citation

Zhang, C., Wang, J., Zhang, B., Ding, J., Fu, Z. and Zhang, L. (2019), "Factors influencing vegetable cooperatives’ selection of marketing channels in Beijing", British Food Journal, Vol. 121 No. 7, pp. 1655-1668. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2018-0403