A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs

Zambia has experienced a rise in per capita fish supply in recent years due in part to growing domestic aquaculture production and expanding import markets that supply farmed Nile tilapia to mostly urban markets. While urban consumers enjoy a wide variety of local fish species, including wild-caught...

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Main Authors: Murphy, Seamus, Cole, Steven M., Kaminski, Alexander M., Charo-Karisa, Harrison, Basita, Rose Komugisha, McDougall, Cynthia, Kakwasha, Keagan, Mulilo, Tabitha, Rajaratnam, Surendran, Mekkawy, Wagdy
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149054
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author Murphy, Seamus
Cole, Steven M.
Kaminski, Alexander M.
Charo-Karisa, Harrison
Basita, Rose Komugisha
McDougall, Cynthia
Kakwasha, Keagan
Mulilo, Tabitha
Rajaratnam, Surendran
Mekkawy, Wagdy
author_browse Basita, Rose Komugisha
Charo-Karisa, Harrison
Cole, Steven M.
Kakwasha, Keagan
Kaminski, Alexander M.
McDougall, Cynthia
Mekkawy, Wagdy
Mulilo, Tabitha
Murphy, Seamus
Rajaratnam, Surendran
author_facet Murphy, Seamus
Cole, Steven M.
Kaminski, Alexander M.
Charo-Karisa, Harrison
Basita, Rose Komugisha
McDougall, Cynthia
Kakwasha, Keagan
Mulilo, Tabitha
Rajaratnam, Surendran
Mekkawy, Wagdy
author_sort Murphy, Seamus
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Zambia has experienced a rise in per capita fish supply in recent years due in part to growing domestic aquaculture production and expanding import markets that supply farmed Nile tilapia to mostly urban markets. While urban consumers enjoy a wide variety of local fish species, including wild-caught native tilapia, little is known regarding the consumer preferences for farmed tilapia traits. Understanding aquaculture consumer markets is needed, including more detailed evidence of differences in tilapia trait preferences between women and men of differing socioeconomic backgrounds. Such data may add value to current and future genetic improvement programs, inform the design of domestic production systems and aquaculture marketing campaigns, and improve the food and nutrition security potential of the sector. This study assessed consumer preference rankings of farmed tilapia traits in four major urban sites in Zambia in 2018. Women and men consumers of different socioeconomic status (SES) participated in the study (N = 313). Using a pairwise ranking method and multi-criteria survey tool, consumers made a choice between values of different morphometric traits: total body weight, length, width, and height, skin colour, and head and tail sizes. Men reported a stronger preference for traits that were ranked higher overall by the sample, including larger body weight (p < 0.001), darker skin colour (p < 0.05), and taller body height (p < 0.05). Women reported stronger preferences for traits that were ranked lower overall, including shorter body height (p < 0.01) and smaller body weight (p < 0.001). Controlling for several covariates believed to influence consumer trait preferences for farmed tilapia (e.g., SES, age, educational level, and household size), nonparametric regression analysis revealed strong consumer preferences by men for thicker body width (p < 0.05), larger body weight (p < 0.001), and taller body height (p < 0.05). Consumers of lower SES had a stronger preference for darker skin colour than consumers of middle SES (p < 0.05). These findings confirm existence of differences in consumer preferences for farmed tilapia traits in urban Zambia and should be considered in genetic improvement programs. Fish breeding thus should be more gender-responsive and pro-poor. Differences suggest limitations in genetic innovations to meet the needs of diverse consumer groups, requiring complementary production and marketing interventions within the aquaculture industry.
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spelling CGSpace1490542025-11-11T11:06:02Z A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs Murphy, Seamus Cole, Steven M. Kaminski, Alexander M. Charo-Karisa, Harrison Basita, Rose Komugisha McDougall, Cynthia Kakwasha, Keagan Mulilo, Tabitha Rajaratnam, Surendran Mekkawy, Wagdy consumer behaviour fishes gender breeding zambia breeding decisions Zambia has experienced a rise in per capita fish supply in recent years due in part to growing domestic aquaculture production and expanding import markets that supply farmed Nile tilapia to mostly urban markets. While urban consumers enjoy a wide variety of local fish species, including wild-caught native tilapia, little is known regarding the consumer preferences for farmed tilapia traits. Understanding aquaculture consumer markets is needed, including more detailed evidence of differences in tilapia trait preferences between women and men of differing socioeconomic backgrounds. Such data may add value to current and future genetic improvement programs, inform the design of domestic production systems and aquaculture marketing campaigns, and improve the food and nutrition security potential of the sector. This study assessed consumer preference rankings of farmed tilapia traits in four major urban sites in Zambia in 2018. Women and men consumers of different socioeconomic status (SES) participated in the study (N = 313). Using a pairwise ranking method and multi-criteria survey tool, consumers made a choice between values of different morphometric traits: total body weight, length, width, and height, skin colour, and head and tail sizes. Men reported a stronger preference for traits that were ranked higher overall by the sample, including larger body weight (p < 0.001), darker skin colour (p < 0.05), and taller body height (p < 0.05). Women reported stronger preferences for traits that were ranked lower overall, including shorter body height (p < 0.01) and smaller body weight (p < 0.001). Controlling for several covariates believed to influence consumer trait preferences for farmed tilapia (e.g., SES, age, educational level, and household size), nonparametric regression analysis revealed strong consumer preferences by men for thicker body width (p < 0.05), larger body weight (p < 0.001), and taller body height (p < 0.05). Consumers of lower SES had a stronger preference for darker skin colour than consumers of middle SES (p < 0.05). These findings confirm existence of differences in consumer preferences for farmed tilapia traits in urban Zambia and should be considered in genetic improvement programs. Fish breeding thus should be more gender-responsive and pro-poor. Differences suggest limitations in genetic innovations to meet the needs of diverse consumer groups, requiring complementary production and marketing interventions within the aquaculture industry. 2024-10 2024-07-12T09:08:51Z 2024-07-12T09:08:51Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149054 en Open Access application/pdf Elsevier Murphy, S., Cole, S.M., Kaminski, A.M., Charo-Karisa, H., Basiita, R.K., McDougall, C., ... & Mekkawy, W. (2024). A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs. Aquaculture, 591: 741110, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741110
spellingShingle consumer behaviour
fishes
gender
breeding
zambia
breeding decisions
Murphy, Seamus
Cole, Steven M.
Kaminski, Alexander M.
Charo-Karisa, Harrison
Basita, Rose Komugisha
McDougall, Cynthia
Kakwasha, Keagan
Mulilo, Tabitha
Rajaratnam, Surendran
Mekkawy, Wagdy
A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs
title A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs
title_full A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs
title_fullStr A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs
title_full_unstemmed A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs
title_short A gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in Zambia: evidence to inform genetic improvement programs
title_sort gendered conjoint analysis of tilapia trait preference rankings among urban consumers in zambia evidence to inform genetic improvement programs
topic consumer behaviour
fishes
gender
breeding
zambia
breeding decisions
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149054
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