BEYOND PRICE AND CERTIFICATION: TRUST, SOCIAL EMBEDDEDNESS, AND CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING IN AGROECOLOGICAL MARKETS

Gabriela de Ávila Nunes; Esther Escarrone Pereira; Maria Ketully Neyane Alves; Nathálya Andrade Da Silva

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1440847

Título do Trabalho

BEYOND PRICE AND CERTIFICATION: TRUST, SOCIAL EMBEDDEDNESS, AND CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING IN AGROECOLOGICAL MARKETS

Autores

Gabriela de Ávila Nunes
Esther Escarrone Pereira
Maria Ketully Neyane Alves
Nathálya Andrade Da Silva

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 08 - Value-based Alternative Food Systems: quality assurance and sustainable practices beyond certification

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1440847-beyond-price-and-certification--trust-social-embeddedness-and-consumer-decision-making-in-agroecological-marke

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

Confiança; Mercados agroecológicos; Circuitos Curtos de Comercialização; Decisões de Consumo; Enraizamento Social

Resumo

The expansion of organic and agroecological markets has been widely analyzed based on factors such as price, certification, and logistics, while behavioral elements remain less explored. This study analyzes how trust mechanisms operate as economic devices that shape consumption decisions, reduce transaction costs, and sustain relational stability in short agroecological marketing circuits. The theoretical framework articulates contributions from Behavioral Economics (Thaler; Kahneman) and New Economic Sociology, especially Mark Granovetter's perspective on the social roots of economic transactions. The methodology combines a literature review and exploratory analysis of Brazilian experiences with organic and agroecological food fairs, selected for their centrality in face-to-face interactions and the social construction of trust in short marketing circuits. Direct interaction between producers and consumers reduces perceived risk, acts as an informal guarantee mechanism, and influences purchasing decisions guided by loyalty and socio-environmental values. The results of the literature indicate that trust is a central economic asset in organic and agroecological markets, built on recurring face-to-face interactions and mutual knowledge between producers and consumers. These relationships reduce uncertainty about food quality and operate as informal guarantee mechanisms, often perceived as more legitimate than formal certification systems. Consumption decisions in these markets are strongly guided by non-monetary preferences, such as belonging, reciprocity, and socio-environmental values, which increase the propensity to consume and encourage repeat purchases. In conclusion, by highlighting trust as a central mechanism of economic coordination, this study contributes to debates on alternative value-based food systems, broadening the understanding of informal forms of quality and sustainability assurance beyond certification.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

NUNES, Gabriela de Ávila et al.. BEYOND PRICE AND CERTIFICATION: TRUST, SOCIAL EMBEDDEDNESS, AND CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING IN AGROECOLOGICAL MARKETS.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1440847-BEYOND-PRICE-AND-CERTIFICATION--TRUST-SOCIAL-EMBEDDEDNESS-AND-CONSUMER-DECISION-MAKING-IN-AGROECOLOGICAL-MARKE. Acesso em: 16/09/2026