Characteristics and preferences of organic products consumers in Uganda.
Abstract
The consumption of Organic products in Uganda has more than doubled post the 2020 Covid 19
pandemic in Uganda as consumers began to buy more organic foods as a preventive health
measure (NOGAMU, 2022). According to the Organic market study by N‟gom and Ssekibaala,
(2022), it recommended that for sustainability and development of the Organic sector in Uganda,
organic consumer needs and preferences need to be priotized. However, there is no empirical
evidence on who these organic consumers are specifically for Uganda‟s case. Therefore, this
study aimed at characterizing organic consumers in Uganda based on their demographic and
socio-economic characteristics, examine the preferences and perceptions of Organic consumers
about Organic products as well as assessing the factors that influence the consumption of
Organic products in Uganda. The study was conducted in Kampala district in open general
markets, open organic markets, supermarkets and organic shops. A total of 150 respondents were
conveniently sampled for the survey. The study adopted descriptive statistics to characterize
organic consumers, principal factor analysis to examine consumer perceptions and preferences in
Organic products and a linear regression analysis to determine the factors influencing
consumption of Organic products. The study found that majority of the Organic product
purchasers in Kampala were women, married, aged between 35-69 years and well educated with
at least a diploma. When it came to consumers the study found out that Organic consumers
prefer organic fruits and vegetables as compared to other products like animal products, root
crops, cereals and cereal products, spices and cooking oil. About the Organic consumers‟
perception, majority of the respondents perceived Organic products to be healthy products with
no harm to the human body. This was followed by those that perceived them as products with no
traces of synthetic chemicals and those that perceived them as products from an uninterrupted
natural setting. However, some also perceive organic products to be herbs. The study also found
out that, education, consumer awareness about the health benefits associated with Organic
products and prices at which organic products are sold significantly affect some one‟s decision to
consume organic products. The study recommends increased awareness and sensitization to
consumers about the benefits of consuming Organic products.