From boutique to mainstream: Upscaling wildlife‐friendly farming through consumer premiums

Abstract

Wildlife‐friendly produce shows promise in addressing the disconnect between consumers' choices and the loss of biodiversity from agriculture. However, the scope of programs and their contribution to conservation remain limited. An improved understanding of specific markets, combined with auspicious scenarios, could address this. In Australia's Murray‐Darling Basin, rice fields support the largest known breeding population of the Australasian bittern, a globally endangered waterbird. We surveyed 1478 Australian consumers about their values for “bittern‐friendly” rice. To help support successful bittern breeding, consumers' mean willingness‐to‐pay for a 1‐kg product, normally $3.00, was $4.12—a premium of 37%—while the inferred valuation for their nearest neighbor was $3.79, a 26% premium. In a choice experiment, rice directly sourced from bittern‐friendly rice growers attracted the highest premium, approaching 200%, but conventional rice with indirect support for bittern‐friendly growers was also highly valued. Consumers valued endorsement and certification labels from all organizations more than individual ones, and would pay additional premiums for reduced pesticide use or organic products. Feasibility of broad‐scale, consumer‐funded incentive programs is emphasized by an engaging narrative and a supportive, cohesive rice industry. Similar opportunities likely exist where consumers can be central to endangered species conservation, expanding wildlife‐friendly farming coverage.

Japanese consumer's visual marketing preferences and willingness to pay for rice produced by biodiversity‐friendly farming

“…To help in the proliferation of BFF products and enhance biodiversity conservation across wider regions where local social capital does not work, it will be necessary to not only nurture interest in conservation but also to foster the types of consumer motivations observed in organic agriculture. For example, combining attributes, such as the use of conservation target species and eco‐friendly practices (e.g., reduction of synthetic pesticides/fertilizers), should be an effective promotion measure to motivate consumers to purchase BFF products (Herring et al, 2022; Mameno et al, 2023; Nishimura et al, 2012b).…”

“…This was significantly higher than the corresponding value of 24.3% of the population in 2022 statistics (https://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/2022np/index.html, p < .001, prop‐test). Referring to items asked in questionnaire surveys of previous studies on BFF products (Herring et al, 2022; Sehra & MacMillan, 2021), the following socio‐demographic and general information was collected: sex, age, hometown, marital status, education, current occupation, annual income, number and school age of children, number of household members, and rice consumption rate was calculated by dividing the number of rice meals by the total number of meals in a week. To detect the degree of respondent's contact with agricultural environment, we asked whether there were paddy fields or other farmlands within a 1–2 min walk of their current residence.…”

“…In addition, successful examples of advantageous sales have actually been achieved by combining the conservation of a flagship species of stork, pesticide reduction, and outreach activities involving multiple stakeholders (Uenishi, 2019). Producers who combined certified flagship species conservation with reduction of synthetic pesticide/fertilizer have been able to obtain price premiums of more than 200% (Herring et al, 2022). However, for small‐scale producers who lack such social capital or flagship species in the local species pool, these precedents have limited implications in terms of implementing BFF farming from a business model perspective.…”

“…However, consumers are skeptical of food labels if they lack familiarity and trust in the commodities (Sirieix et al, 2013). Previous studies have shown that the proper selection of taxa or landscapes for labeling of BFF products was crucial for effective communication between producers and consumers (Herring et al, 2022; Mameno et al, 2023; Sehra & MacMillan, 2021). Consumers in the capital city of Tokyo preferred images of traditional rural landscapes the most, followed by the black crowned‐night heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ) and the Japanese pond loach ( Misgurnus anguillicaudatus , Sehra & MacMillan, 2021).…”

A consumption‐based analysis of extinction risk in Australia

“…Behavioural domains targeted at reducing biodiversity loss include those focused on lifestyle, stewardship, social, consumption, advocacy, and donation behaviors (Selinske et al., 2020). Within the domain of consumption behaviors, certification schemes have been shown to be effective in influencing consumption choices, and research into labeling schemes has demonstrated that many consumers are willing to accept a price premium in return for purchasing wildlife‐friendly products (Herring et al., 2022; Selinske et al., 2020).…”