African Association of Agricultural Economists. Shaping the Future of African
Agriculture for Development: The Role of Social Scientists. Proceedings of the Inaugural
Symposium, 6 to 8 December 2004, Grand Regency Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
Consumers’ Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for organic vegetable in Benin and Ghana
Theodore Nouhoheflin1, Ousmane Coulibaly1, Andy J. Cherry1, Ramatu Al-Hassan2 and Patrice Y.
Adegbola3
Theodore Nouhoheflin, Agricultral economist/consultant, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
08BP: 0932, Tripostal-Cotonou, Benin, Tel: Office: 229 350188 Private: 229 851456
Fax: (229) 350556, Email: t.nouhoheflin@cgiar.org, Email 2: tnouho@yahoo.fr
Abstract: Vegetable plays important roles in the socio-economic development in West Africa. It
contributes to insuring food security, provides raw materials for local industries, generates foreign
exchange and provides employment and incomes for most of the population. However some health hazards
are caused by the misuse of chemical on vegetable. This study is undertaken within the framework of the
research project: ‘Public-private partnerships for development and implementation of entomopathogenic
viruses as biopesticides for key lepidopteran pests in Ghana and Benin. It assesses the potential market of
organic vegetables and analyse consumers’ awareness and perceptions of chemical pesticide residues in
vegetables and assess the premium levels that consumers are willing to pay for chemical free vegetables.
Data were collected through a formal questionnaire on consumers’ perceptions of produce quality
problems, their level of awareness of heavy chemical pesticide use on vegetable and their willingness to
pay for a vegetable if it is chemical free. A Hedonic-pricing model was used to identify the key factors
most likely to affect consumers’ willingness to pay for bio-vegetables. The results show that consumers are
aware of the heavy use of chemicals on vegetables. The level of awareness of health hazard lin