The Identification and Applicability of Regional Brand-Driving Modes for Agricultural Products

Abstract

The regional brand-driven construction of agricultural products has taken shape in China. At present, the status quo entails the homogenization of the brand-driven mode of construction, making it a serious phenomenon in China. In addition, the misalignment between the brand-driven mode and resource conditions in some areas not only causes a waste of resources but also leads to a lack of competitiveness and premium capacity for agricultural products within the brand, which cannot increase farmers’ income. This article constructs a theoretical model of the brand-driven mode and uses the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method to identify effective brand-driven modes and explore their applicable environmental conditions. This research can provide theoretical guidance for the local development of regional brands of characteristic agricultural products. The results of the driving mode validity analysis show that the four brand-driven modes, resource-dependent, technology-induced, culture-driven, and industry-based, are the main construction paths for regional brands of agricultural products in China. Among them, the effectiveness of the resource-dependent and technology-induced modes is the highest, reaching 0.90 or more. The results of the applicability analysis show that the resource-dependent mode is suitable for farming areas with well-developed supporting policies and infrastructure and good economic development. In addition, the use of the technology-induced mode requires local farmers to have a high level of education and a high-quality base.