Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to reveal the decision-making process for sustainability of vegetable production. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected vegetable growers, using the theoretical sampling method in Bafra plain of Samsun province, Turkey. The quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and qualitative data on the decision-making process were analyzed through content analysis. The vegetable growers generally decide in two stages: thinking and implementation. In the thinking stage, they evaluate encouraging factors (experience, product characteristics, the availability of resources (land, labor, capital, and managerial skills), the social environment, positive trends in product prices, a desire to produce, rural dependence, customer demands and a desire to earn money) and restricting factors (debts, pests, and diseases, the cost of products, weather conditions, unsuccessful experiences, negative perceptions towards specific products, the neighborhood of the land, lack of a sustainable contract with commissioners and limited terms for leasing land). In the decision-thinking stage, decision-makers evaluate what decisions they want to make and then implement production plans. The thinking stage, the growers need data on factors affecting production patterns. In economic theories, the farmer is only a rational entity that tries to maximize profits; however, this research shows that farmers’ economic decisions are not always rational. The research results showed that not only the price but also human behavior should be taken into consideration in the decision-making process.

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