FARM ECONOMY IN SERBIA – DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

Aleksandra Tošović-Stevanović; Vladimir M Ristanović

doi:10.59267/ekoPolj24041225T

Authors

Aleksandra Tošović-Stevanović Institute of International Policy and Economy, Makedonska 25, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0281-0579
Vladimir M Ristanović Institute of European Studies, Trg Nikole Pašića 11, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2957-3465

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj24041225T

Keywords:

Sustainable agricultural production, sustainable agricultural products, multiple decisions, AHP method

Abstract

Sustainable agricultural products are sophisticated because they are directly related to the health of end users and have a specific quality and yield. The market for these products is specific and determined by various factors. This paper analyses the placement of sustainable agricultural products on small farms in the Serbian economy through multiple sales channels. We organized a one-on-one meeting with 150 small and medium-sized farm owners and collected data through a questionnaire. We then created a model through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP method) to evaluate the decision-making of small farmers about placing products on the market. The results showed that the quality of the products is crucial for small farmers, who need to distribute them through local shops, retail chains, and markets. In this way, we have opened space for future analyses that can include regression models and assess relationships between individual categories.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Atănăsoaie G. (2011). Distribution channels on the organic foods market. Journal of Horticulture, Forestry and Biotechnology, 15(3): 19–25.

Brezović K., Stanković R., Šafran M., & Kolarić G. (2021). Applying multi-criteria analysis in evaluation of distribution channels. In: Petrović M., Novačko L. (eds.): Transformation of Transportation. Cham, Switzerland, Springer International Publishing: 105–122. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-66464-0_8

Đurić, N., Glamočlija, Đ., Janković, S., Dozet, G., Popović, V., Glamočlija, M., & Cvijanović, V. (2018). Alternative cereals in Serbia in the system of sustainable agricultural production. Agroekonomski glasnik, 80(6), 369-384. doi: 10.33128/ag.80.6.2

Forman, E. H., & Gass, S. I. (2001). The Analytic Hierarchy Process – An Exposition. Operations Research, 49(4): 469-486.

Gajdić D., Petljak K., & Mesić Ž. (2018). An exploration of distribution channels: Challenges and opportunities for organic food producers in Croatia. Economics of Agriculture, 65(4): 1461–1482. doi: 10.5937/ekoPolj1804461G

Milanović, J., Nikitović, Z., & Garabinović, D. (2020). The impact of customer contact as part of the agricultural products distribution channel on the increase of the competitiveness of agricultural holdings. Economics of Agriculture, 67(2): 359-375. doi: 10.5937/ekoPolj2002359M

Milić, D., Tomaš Simin, M., Glavaš - Trbić, D., Radojević, V., & Vukelić, N. (2022). Why I Buy Organic Products – Perception of Middle Income Ccountry Consumers (Rrepublic of Serbia). Economics of Agriculture, 69(2): 497–515. doi: 10.5937/ekoPolj2202497M

Mugambiwa, S.S. (2023). Sustainable agriculture and sustainable developmental goals: a case study of smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Chapter 3 - Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, 91-103. Elsevier, Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-323-90500-8.00002-6

Nikolaou K., Tsakiridou E., Anastasiadis F., & Mattas K. (2017). Exploring alternative distribution channels of agricultural products. International Journal of Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Business Models, 2(2): 36–66. doi: 10.4018/IJFBMBM.2017070103

Parušić, V., Kljajić, N., & Grujić Vučkovski, B. (2023). Sustainable agriculture of Serbia through the prism of the renewable energy sources market. Trendovi u poslovanju, 11(2): 42-51, doi: 10.5937/trendpos2302042P

FAO (2023). The State of Food and Agriculture Revealing the true cost of food to transform agrifood systems. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome.

Pešić, V., & Janković, P. (2009). Biotechnology and sustainable agriculture. Facta universitatis - series: Working and Living Environmental Protection, 6(1): 49-54.

Reganold, J. P., & Wachter, J. M. (2016). Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature plants 2, 15221: 1-8. doi: 10.1038/nplants.2015.221

Ristanović, V., Tošović-Stevanović, A., Maican, S., & Muntean, A. (2022). Economic overview of the distribution channels used by Eastern European small farms for their agricultural products. Agric. Econ., 68(8): 299–306. doi: 10.17221/168/2022-AGRICECON

Ritzema, R., Frelat, R., Douxchamps, S., & Silvestri, S., (2017). Is production intensification likely to make farm households food-adequate? A simple food availability analysis across smallholder farming systems from East and West. Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer; The International Society for Plant Pathology, 9(1), 115-131. doi: 10.1007/s12571-016-0638-y

Saaty, TL. (1987). The Analytic Hierarchy Process – What it is and How it is Used, Math Modeling, 9(3-5): 161-176

Saaty, T. L. (1990). Multicriteria Decision Making: The Analytic Hierarchy Process: Planning, Priority Setting, Resource Allocation. RWS Publications.

Simić, I. (2020). Organska proizvodnja u Srbiji, Nacionalno udruženje za razvoj organske proizvodnje Serbia Organika, Beograd.

Stanković, T., Andjelković, A., & Milovanović, G. (2023). Distribution channels for organic food in the Republic of Serbia. Economic Themes, 61(2): 269-287. doi: 10.2478/ethemes-2023-0014

Subić, J., Bekić, B. & Jeločnik, B. (2010). Značaj organske poljoprivrede u zaštiti

okoline i savremenoj proizvodnji hrane. Škola biznisa, 3, 50-56.

Šeremešić, S., Vojnova, B., Manojlovića, M., Miloševa, D., Ugrenović, V., Filipović, V., & Babec, B. (2017). Organic agriculture in the service of biodiversity and health. Letopis naučnih radova / Annals of Agronomy, 41(2): 51-60

Šostar, M.; & Ristanović, V. (2023). Assessment of Influencing Factors on Consumer Behavior Using the AHP Model. Sustainability, 15(13): 10341. doi: 10.3390/su151310341

Tomić, D., Popović, V., & Šuljmanac Šećerov, M. (2007). Sustainable agricultureas a base of rural development: European experience. Economics of Agriculture, 54(1): 85-90.

Tošović-Stevanović A., Ristanović V., Ćalović D., Lalić G., Žuža M., & Cvijanović G. (2020). Small farm business analysis using the AHP model for efficient assessment of distribution channels. Sustainability, 12(24): 10479. doi: 10.3390/su122410479

Tsakiridou, E., Boutsouki, C., Zotos, Y., & Mattas, K. (2008). Attitudes and behaviour towards organic products: an exploratory study”, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 36(2): 158-175. doi: 10.1108/09590550810853093

Usman, M., Anwar, S., Yaseen, M. R., Makhdum, M. S. A., Kousar, R., & Jahanger, A. (2022). Unveiling the dynamic relationship between agriculture value addition, energy utilization, tourism and environmental degradation in South Asia. Journal of Public Affairs, 22(4): 1-15. doi: 10.1002/pa.2712

Wind, Y., & Saaty, T. L. (1980). Marketing Applications of the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Management Science, 26(7): 641-658. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.26.7.641

Xu, X. (2009). Optimal price and product quality decisions in a distribution channel. Manag. Sci. 55: 1347–1352. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.1090.1023

Zhu, L. (2020). Supply chain product quality control strategy in three types of distribution channels. PLoS One, 15(4): e0231699. doi: 10.1371/journal. pone.0231699