Do online agri-food sellers contribute to food security in Indonesia? A PCA-based composite index and a Tobit approach

Risti Permani ()
Additional contact information
Risti Permani: The University of Queensland

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, No 10, 1561 pages

Abstract: Abstract Despite a widely accepted view of the increasing role of e-commerce in providing food access, conceptual frameworks, measures, and factors affecting the contribution of e-commerce participants to food security still need to be improved. This study develops a conceptual framework using data from an online survey of 198 online agri-food sellers in the East Java province recruited through a local small business platform. Then, it conducts a quantitative analysis to assess the contribution of online agri-food sellers to food security and the factors affecting their contribution. Specifically, the study develops a novel principal component analysis-based E-Commerce Food Security Contribution Index (EFSCI) using 26 food availability, access, utilisation, and stability indicators. It applies a Tobit model to identify factors affecting the EFSCI. This is the first study to associate food security issues with e-commerce selling behaviours of small online businesses using empirical data and a newly constructed index. The Tobit model reveals that sellers with more experience in e-commerce and selling processed meat contribute more to food security. To a lesser extent, being a male seller and marketing on social media are negatively associated with the EFSCI. The results highlights the necessity to support new entrants and those selling on social media to better understand food security aspects in their e-commerce operations, the importance of food safety, and the significant role of women in promoting food security.

Keywords: Agri-food; E-commerce; Indonesia; Food security; Composite Index; Principal Component Analysis; Tobit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L81 O12 O13 Q13 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12571-023-01392-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:15:y:2023:i:6:d:10.1007_s12571-023-01392-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ulture/journal/12571

DOI: 10.1007/s12571-023-01392-2

Access Statistics for this article

Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food is currently edited by R.N. Strange

More articles in Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food from Springer, The International Society for Plant Pathology
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().