Maya Al-Abdala (1)*, Safwan Aboassaf (1) and Riham Zahalan (2)
(1). Economic and Social Studies Research Department, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Sweida, Syria.
(2). Natural Resources Department, General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research (GCSAR), Damascus, Syria
(* Corresponding author, Dr. Maya al-Abdala E-mail: mayaabdala6@gmail.com)
Received: 28/ 08/ 2024 Accepted: 11/ 12 /2024
Abstract:
The study aimed to measure the consumers’ awareness level of the source and safety of agricultural products, as a case study for workers at Al-Swaida Scientific Agricultural Research Centre. Presuming that the studied statistical community includes all types of working of administration, research and services areas, surveying methodology was used with about 170 singular samples, 2021/2022. The results showed four classes of consumers’ awareness levels, weak, medium, good and very good awareness levels. The highest percentage of the obtained results was 48.24% for the third class (good awareness). Factors affecting the awareness level were defined using different correlation factors that suit the variables. Based on that, the alternative assumption of having significant statistical differences between the awareness level and the variables of gender, capacity building, reading about food safety, family individual status, the obtained scientific degree, and consumers’ length in cm, the percentage of the individual’s income that spent for food was accepted. It was clear from the suggested ordinal regression model that variables of capacity building, reading books, scientific degree and the consumed percentage of the monthly income on food have a predictive significance on the individual awareness level. Since variables of capacity-building, reading books and scientific qualifications have a positive impact, individuals following training on food safety, buying books and enhancing their scientific qualifications will increase the poten-tial of existing in a higher awareness level of the suggested classes. In contrast since the variable of the consumed percentage of the monthly income on food has a negative impact, thus the higher this percentage the higher the potential to exist in a lower awareness level of the suggested classes.
Keywords: Al-Swaida, Consumers’ awareness, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, Ordinal regression model.
Full paper in Arabic: pdf