Abstract
Mountain areas are important from different perspectives. Covering approximately one-fifth of the earth's surface, they are hotspots of biodiversity, provide most of the planet's drinking water, and are home to almost half of the species diversity. They are home to 13% of the world's population. In Europe, this percentage reaches 22%. Despite their importance, mountain areas face several challenges. Mountain communities are among the most vulnerable in the world. Economic dynamics and the misuse of environmental resources have aggravated the situation of these communities, damaging the fragile mountain ecosystem and leading their populations to abandon the countryside and migrate to other areas. Since the 1970s, the European Commission has set up policies to promote the development of mountain areas. Based on different approaches, these policies have aimed at providing conditions to, among others, increase agricultural production, compensate mountain farmers for higher production costs, and valorise the local resources. As part of the European rural development strategy, the European Union has set up the Regulation (EU) 1151/2012 and its Delegated Act 665/2014. These legal instruments have a threefold purpose: (a) add value to mountain products; (b) sustain mountain farming; (c) enhance transparency for consumers regarding the mountain origin of food products. To achieve these objectives, the Regulation and the delegated act define the products that can use the mountain label term as well as establish the minimum quality standards that must be met by producers. Against this background, the purpose of this research project is twofold. First, we seek to understand how mountain origin influences consumer perceptions concerning agrifood products. That is, I tried to identify the attributes that consumers associate with food products produced in mountain areas. Second, I investigated the convergences and divergences between consumers' expectations concerning mountain food products and the rules of the mountain labelling scheme (Regulation (EU) 1151/2012 and its Delegated Act 665/2014). To achieve these objectives, I mobilized diverse methods and theories. In the first study (chapter 2), I used three different qualitative approaches (focus group, interviews and observations). I analysed the data using a theoretical framework composed of studies on food quality dimensions and food attributes. In the other two studies (chapters 3 and 4), I used a quantitative approach 7 (choice experiment: best-worst scaling model) to elicit consumer preferences and compare the results with the European rules on mountain food products. Contrary to what previous studies stated, the public does not only have a positive representation of mountain areas and mountain food products. The lower knowledge of consumers about the current farming practices and the situation of the mountain environment seem to generate an idealized (and positive) representation of mountains and their products. Inversely, higher knowledge tends to stimulate a critical and realistic view of mountain products and mountain areas. Despite this difference, consumers show a common interest: they want healthier and more sustainable mountain products (including respect for animal welfare). Based on consumer preferences and latent class analysis (chapters 3 and 4), we were able to identify three consumer segments for wine and four for beef. The preference for attributes directly related to mountain areas is more evident only for two segments (one for wine and one for beef). The other five consumer groups showed higher concerns for ecological sustainability (including animal welfare) and (human) health. The three studies of this thesis also demonstrate that consumers are in favor of including wines in the mountain labelling scheme, consumer preferences diverge from the quality standards of the mountain labelling scheme, and this divergence may reduce the effectiveness of the European Regulation.