Drivers and Barriers Shaping Consumer Adoption of Organic Agri-Food Products: A Case Study in Can Tho City, Vietnam

Abstract

The main factor driving the fast expansion of the international organic agri-food products markets is raising concerns related to food safety and hygiene, public health, and environmental protection. Nonetheless, in developing countries such as Vietnam, consumer acceptance of organic agri-food products remains relatively low due to the coexistence of driving and structural factors. The purpose of this research is to seek and measure factors influencing consumers’ acceptance of organic agri-food products in Can Tho City, using a theory combination: Intentional Behavior Theory (TPB), Innovation Resistance Theory (IRT), and Dual Factor Theory (DFT). A mixed research method was used, which consisted of expert interviews, mock surveys, and formal surveys with 398 consumers. The data is analyzed using a partial linear structure model (PLS-SEM) to simultaneously evaluate the measurement model and the structural model. The results showed that three driving factors, health awareness, quality safety, and quality labels, had a positive and statistically significant impact on acceptance intent, while three functional barriers, value barriers, use barriers, and risk barriers, had the opposite effect. The study model explained about 94.4% of the variation in acceptance intent, reflecting a very strong explanatory capacity for consumer behavior in the context of the study. Theoretically, the study contributes by simultaneously examining the dynamic structure and barriers in an integrated model, overcoming the limitations of previous studies that mainly looked at individual groups of factors. In practical terms, the results are the basis for businesses and regulators to develop market development strategies, emphasizing the health and welfare benefits of ecosystems, while minimizing perceived risks, inconveniences of use, and improving the perception of value for organic agri-food products in Vietnam.