Abstract
Trinidad tomatoes are differentiated only by their physical size. Farmers in many countries have been adopting agronomic differentiation strategies by utilizing various production systems. This project seeks to determine consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for greenhouse-hydroponic (GH) tomatoes when marketed in a hypothetical scenario as a differentiated commodity. A total of 405 consumers were surveyed in Trinidad. A logistic regression and ANOVA were used to determine the factors affecting consumers' WTP for GH tomatoes. Consumers' knowledge and perception towards the health benefits of GH tomatoes were influential factors. In the current state, the differentiation may not be a feasible undertaking for farmers without the accommodation of any supporting public educational programmes. These programmes must aim to highlight the differences between conventional open field tomatoes and GH tomatoes.
