A Study on the Quality Perceptions of Red Pepper Growers

고추 재배 농가들의 품질 인식에 관한 연구

This article indicates that the perceptions on the quality of agro-food are socially constructed. Farmers who were producing red pepper in Eumsung county had somewhat different perceptions on the quality of red pepper according to their own marketing channels. Farmers who were selling their red pepper to consumers by direct marketing tend to think the quality attributes more important as follows; information on producers, ingredients, taste and smell, amount of pesticides input, cleaning the harvested red pepper, quality certification by public authority, and brands. Consumers tend to think safety and production area more important, while farmers tend to think the quality attributes as follows; taste, color, variety, soil environment, and largeness. Based on these research findings, we can give some recommendations as follows; 1) the agricultural extension organization in the Eumsung county should change the strategy for local agriculture towards quality management of red peppers. and 2) the local government need to examine the feasibility of quality certifying on red pepper.