Consumers´ attitudes of aquatic vegetables in Cambodia.

Bc. Kristýna Odehnalová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Aquatic vegetables are highly consumed across the whole country of Cambodia with needs in region of 500 tonnes vegetables per day. Nowadays often discussed topic regarding to aquatic vegetables was toxicity of heavy metals in wet lands. Aquatic vegetables are highly cultivated in these wet lands which have function in the same time as removal of pollutants from Phnom Penh city before the waste water eventually flowed into the Mekong River. The main objectives of the study were to get relevant information about aquatic vegetables in term of consumption and relation with socio-demographic characteristics and evaluation of consumers´ awareness of health consequences. The study area was determined for the highest concentration of consumers and the sample size reached 393 respondents in productive age (from 15 to 65). The data were collected via convenience sampling method and snow-ball sampling method through structured questionnaire survey. To determine relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, opinion of respondents to food security and consumption of individual aquatic vegetables Pearson Chi-squared test was applied. The study showed that the most common type of aquatic vegetables was Water convolvulus which was highly consumed by all respondents. Most of the respondents reported low awareness of potential health risk relevant to waste water flowed to wet lands where aquatic vegetables were commonly cultivated. However, respondents´ opinions relevant to the food security were statistically significant for consumption of aquatic vegetables. The Pearson Chi-squared test results showed significant differences between particular socio-demographic characteristics especially in cases of education level and occupation. The study recommends that there is need to increase knowledge about toxicity of heavy metals and quality of wet lands where vegetables are cultivated to eliminate health problems.

Keywords

Aquatic vegetables, Consumer attitude, Cambodia, Food security

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 25. 4. 2019

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Petra Chaloupková, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / Sustainable Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics