Study of Perception and Demand of Organic Vegetables vs. Conventional Ones: Case of Organic and Conventional Lettuce in Cali (Colombia) in 2014-2015

Conventional agriculture produces negative impacts on the environment and human health. To reduce such impacts, other forms of agriculture such as organic agriculture have emerged. One way to encourage this type of agriculture is to increase the consumption of organic products. This article presents the perception of consumers of organic and conventional vegetables. In addition, the estimated demand for organic and conventional lettuce in the city of Cali Colombia. The perception was obtained with an interview and focus groups of consumers of said products, and the demand through an econometric study carried out with information from two supermarkets in the city. The results revealed that the demand for organic vegetables is influenced by the little information that exists of this kind of products and also due to the high prices in the market. Consumers of organic vegetables express their preferences for these products based on considerations such as healthcare, sensitivity to the farmers, and protection to the land. In the demand behavior of organic lettuce, prices have an influence of 40% of the units demanded.