Knowledge sharing structure of agricultural products: Case of kokuzoyuzu (citrus)

Abstract

Agricultural products in rural areas are developed mainly for urban consumers. However, consumers often find themselves forced to make purchase decisions based on only price information and appearance of products, lacking the necessary contextual knowledge about products. Furthermore, in Japan, it is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers and primary processors of the food crop to generate sufficient profits, which puts the agricultural production system at risk. Although many studies examine agricultural products’ marketing [1], few focus on its knowledge sharing structure. The authors took an empirical approach to address this problem, focusing on the knowledge sharing structure among stakeholders (farmers, primary processors of the food crop, distributors, and consumers), under the assumption that an intrinsic response to consumer needs would result in reasonable profit for each stakeholder. In the current knowledge sharing structure, only sellers respond directly to needs of consumers, who focus less on products’ intrinsic value. Therefore, the authors implemented the value co-creation process among stakeholders to share contextual knowledge of KokuzoYuzu (Japanese citrus) by making a promotional video and selling it together. This increased its sales unit price, diversified the production area’s impression, and increased interaction between consumers and farmers. This case study empirically indicates that value co-creation has changed the knowledge sharing structure among stakeholders, which increases the shared contextual knowledge about products among stakeholders while improving consumers’ experience and behaviors. These findings will contribute to the development of sustainable agricultural systems.