農夫市集關係資本、制度信任與購買阻礙關係之研究

Abstract

近年有關農夫市集產消關係（Farmer-buyer relationaship）之相關研究受到許多學者討論，其正面效果亦受到許多研究所證實。農夫市集為一關係空間的消費場域，面對面交易所内嵌的產消關係，能發揮關係資本所含之資訊交流、信任與分享學習，強化彼此對共享價值之認同，有助於引導消費者反身性思考，連結在地農業生產知識及價值理念，降低消費者對在地農產品之資訊不對稱，或專業知識不足所致生的購買阻礙因素。然而，過往的研究指出這股迎向在地食材的熱情所側重的產消關係建立，在實務上可能無法跟上所設定的理想特徵而與現實脫節，可能僅係包裝在地農產品商品化的浪漫敘述。爰此，本研究認為在強調產消關係資本之外，仍需強調在人際關係之外客觀制度規範的信任程度，探討制度信任與購買阻礙兩者之關係。 農夫市集作為在地食物供應系統的實踐場域，儘管缺乏便捷、多樣等市場性表徵，在農產品供應、品質與價格等面向上形成不同程度的購買阻礙因素，但卻不減近年漸增發展的態勢，顯然農夫市集存有一套機制得緩衝對消費者的購買阻礙因素，穩固消費者對市集農產品安全的信任。此提供了本研究得以探索及貢獻之處，探討農夫市集產消間的關係資本、制度信任與購買阻礙間的影響機制，並檢驗農夫市集制度信任是否扮演關係資本影響購買阻礙之中介機制。 本研究透過次集資料分析，以農夫市集內購買在地農產品的消費者為分析對象共分析358個有效樣本，經驗證性因素分析及結構方程模式分析，結果發現本研究所提出之理論分析模式中，制度信任為農夫市集關係資本影響購買阻礙之完全中介機制，此外農夫市集產消間累積之關係資本能夠正向影響消費者對制度信任的程度。綜合以上發現，本研究認為農夫市集內嵌之關係資本，使產消雙邊在交流溝通中累積對彼此的可信賴性，開放及主動參與對話，生產農民可即時回應消費者所期望的需求，並從中養成對所售農產品自律監管之道德責任，傳達消費者對問責性的需求，厚實消費者對制度信任的程度。進一步透過制度信任的提高，中介影響消費者對農夫市集的購買阻礙的程度。由此本研究建議，農夫市集產品安全推廣及營銷策略上，營造產消面對面的交易空間之外，更應重視一套能讓消費者信任的客觀制度規範，並在農民直接互動交流中，深化對制度規範的理解與認同，以更為有效地減少消費者對在地農夫市集購買阻礙的看法，有助於農夫市集經營的推進。

In recent years, the farmer-buyer relationship at farmers’ markets has been the focal point of scholars and received extensive treatments in literature, many of which confirmed the positive effect of such a relationship. As a relational spaces where face-to-face interactions take place, farmers’ markets have an innate farmer-buyer relationship that facilitates the components of relational capital like information exchange, trust buildup, sharing and learning, through which shared-value are established among participants. This allows consumers to reflect upon their actions in connection with their newly acquired knowledge and values regarding local foods. Consumers are also able to overcome the consumption constraints of local agri-foods, including information asymmetries and the lack of relevant knowledge. However, researchers have also pointed out that although this enthusiasm toward local agri-food system aims to rebuild the farmer-buyer relationship, in reality, it might not be able to fulfill those idealistic promises; often, romanticized depiction of local foods on the packages overshadowed the genuine practice. Thus this study suggests that besides stressing relational capitals, non-personal, institutional norms and the trust that comes with it have a role to play, and the relationship between the institutional trust and the consumption constraints will be discussed. As a field of practice for the local agri-food system, farmers’ markets have never been known for their convenience, product diversity, or other appealing marketness. Whether availability, quality, or prices, they all in one way or another constitute constraints to purchase for farmers’ markets, but that did not stop the continuous growth of this platform. And it is apparent that farmers’ markets not only have developed a mechanism to alleviate those barriers but established itself as the trustworthy source of safe foods among consumers. This is where the present study weighs in and contribute; by investigating the interplay between the relational capital, institutional trust , and consumption constraints within the farmer-buyer relationship at farmers’ markets, we examined if the institutional trust in farmers’ markets as an intervening mechanism between the effect of relational capital on consumption constraints. Gathered from secondary data, this study came up with 358 effective samples, who were consumers buying local food products at farmers’ markets. Through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, it has been found that when applied the model theorized in this study, the institutional trust acted as the complete mediation between the effect of relational capital on consumption constraints. Moreover, a positive effect also exists where the accumulation of relational capital enhances the institutional trust in the entire system. In summary, we can conclude that the relational capital and bilateral interactions at farmers’ markets is conducive to institutional trust building. Through open and autonomous conversations, producing farmers can timely address the need of consumers and cultivate a sense of self-management and moral responsibility for their products. Fittingly directing consumers’ call for accountability results in greater institutional trust at the farmers market. Such an arise in institutional trust leads to an interverning effect on consumers’ barrier to purchase at farmers’ markets. This study further recommends that in terms of the promotion of safety attributes and the product itself, in addition to creating an enabling environment for face-to-face interaction, a rigid and trustworthy institutional norm should be included. Furthermore, those interactions should be seen as opportunities to deepen the understanding and recognition of those way of food safety. This way, the consumption constraints at farmers’ markets can be further diminished, which benefits the operation of this entire category.