ARI Biennial Review for 2018-2019

Perceptions of Cypriot consumers towards the traceability of food products In the framework of the research programme Rural Development and Marketing of Agricultural Products, a new project titled “Perceptions of Cypriot consumers towards the traceability of food products” is underway. The ultimate goal of this project is to examine the perceptions of Cypriot consumers towards the traceability of food products. Specifically, this research aims to study the degree of importance that consumers attribute to traceability information (i.e. what is indicated on the packaging / label) when purchasing their food products. For the purposes of this study, the products are limited to fresh agricultural products. Consumers will be segmented based on selected features related to the traceability of food products, and a comparison will be made on different consumer segments regarding their perceptions, preferences and needs towards the traceability of food products, but also based on specific exogenous characteristics (e.g. gender, age, educational level), which are expected to affect their perceptions. In addition, the factors that affect consumers’ perceptions towards the traceability of food products will be investigated. (M. Giannakopoulou, S. Ioannou, G. Adamides, A. Stylianou, M. Markou) EU FUNDED PROJECTS Digital Ecosystem Utilisation (https://www.iof2020.eu/trials/vegetables/digital-ecosystem-utilisation CYSLOP) is a sub-grantee open call project pilot study within the H2020 project “Internet of Food and Farm - IoF2020” (https://www.iof2020.eu) , that aims to deliver tailored services to farm operators based on IoT data acquired on-field. By utilising data stemming from IoT devices in the field, cloud computing and analytics technologies, this use case timely notifies the farmer to proceed with such activities. The result from synergised parameters such as air humidity, temperature and other weather conditions is a service that increases the total farm productivity, contributing to food security for an increasingly populated world. Furthermore, information tailored to farmers’ individual needs lowers their resource costs through early warnings regarding crucial factors in irrigation. By incorporating innovative traceability technology, this use case is among the first to integrate information from the entire food value chain (from farm to shelf ) to a marketplace, offering elaborate value propositions to users. Hence, it significantly improves consumers’ perception of food safety while enabling stakeholders in the agri-food sector to participate in an innovative digital ecosystem. Moreover, traceability technology will be integrated with the support of relevant experts (5.3 IoF2020 use case) so that IoT data and post-farm critical events are coherently grouped. Ultimately, consumers will enjoy a complete data story-telling regarding the origins, conditions and steps of the agrifood product and have the opportunity to further interact with the producer. In July 2019, the first three (3) farms in Cyprus were equipped with IoT sensor devices. The Agricultural Research Institute had arranged the 61 RURAL DEVELOPMENT CYSLOP sensor installation inside a strawberry tunnel