<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<p>Operation of short food supply chains (abbr. SFSCs) during the period of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus provided a lesson which might be useful for perceiving the behaviour of farmers and local food systems in potential future crises caused by various endogenous or exogenous factors. A study based on a sample of 1081 beekeepers in Western Balkan countries shows how beekeepers involved in SFSCs perceived the influence of the pandemic on the growth of demand and sale of honey through these marketing channels. On the scale from 1 (no influence) to 7 (very strong influence), the average rating of 3.53 indicated a weak to moderate influence, which was fairly consistent across the countries of this region. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test determined that large-scale beekeepers, those in mountainous areas, those adding value to honey and beekeepers producing other bee products apart from honey stated that the pandemic had a stronger influence on the growth of demand and sale of honey through SFSCs. At the same time, a higher rating of the pandemic’s influence on sales growth was accompanied by greater limitations of beekeepers regarding the availability of family labour for selling honey, as well as by greater needs for digital marketing knowledge and skills. Binary logistic regression showed that the increase in beekeepers’ age led to the decreased rating of the influence of the pandemic on the growth of demand and sale of honey through SFSCs. It also showed that the influence rating rose with the increase in production capacity, adding value to honey and beekeepers’ needs for digital marketing knowledge and skills. The obtained results provide valuable knowledge about the potential response of SFSCs and involved producers to future crises and disruptions. It is primarily intended for policy makers, but also to practitioners and scientific and expert communities. All of them should respond proactively on behalf of society and prepare themselves for future challenges.</p>
</abstract>

Operation of short food supply chains (abbr. SFSCs) during the period of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus provided a lesson which might be useful for perceiving the behaviour of farmers and local food systems in potential future crises caused by various endogenous or exogenous factors. A study based on a sample of 1081 beekeepers in Western Balkan countries shows how beekeepers involved in SFSCs perceived the influence of the pandemic on the growth of demand and sale of honey through these marketing channels. On the scale from 1 (no influence) to 7 (very strong influence), the average rating of 3.53 indicated a weak to moderate influence, which was fairly consistent across the countries of this region. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test determined that large-scale beekeepers, those in mountainous areas, those adding value to honey and beekeepers producing other bee products apart from honey stated that the pandemic had a stronger influence on the growth of demand and sale of honey through SFSCs. At the same time, a higher rating of the pandemic’s influence on sales growth was accompanied by greater limitations of beekeepers regarding the availability of family labour for selling honey, as well as by greater needs for digital marketing knowledge and skills. Binary logistic regression showed that the increase in beekeepers’ age led to the decreased rating of the influence of the pandemic on the growth of demand and sale of honey through SFSCs. It also showed that the influence rating rose with the increase in production capacity, adding value to honey and beekeepers’ needs for digital marketing knowledge and skills. The obtained results provide valuable knowledge about the potential response of SFSCs and involved producers to future crises and disruptions. It is primarily intended for policy makers, but also to practitioners and scientific and expert communities. All of them should respond proactively on behalf of society and prepare themselves for future challenges.

Response of Short Food Supply Chains in Western Balkan Countries to the COVID Crisis: A Case Study in the Honey Sector

Institute of Agricultural Economics Belgrade

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Operation of short food supply chains (abbr. SFSCs) during the period of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus provided a lesson which might be useful...

Response of Short Food Supply Chains in Western Balkan Countries to the COVID Crisis: A Case Study in the Honey Sector

Published Online: Apr 02, 2024

Page range: 86 - 109

Received: Apr 06, 2023

Accepted: Aug 26, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2024-0006

Keywords
beekeepers, honey, short food supply chain, pandemic, Western Balkan, demand, survey

© 2024 Vesna Paraušić et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Response of Short Food Supply Chains in Western Balkan Countries to the COVID Crisis: A Case Study in the Honey Sector

Published Online: Apr 02, 2024

Page range: 86 - 109

Received: Apr 06, 2023

Accepted: Aug 26, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2024-0006

Keywordsbeekeepers, honey, short food supply chain, pandemic, Western Balkan, demand, survey

© 2024 Vesna Paraušić et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
beekeepers, honey, short food supply chain, pandemic, Western Balkan, demand, survey