The reputation of horticulture – an internal view of the industry

Abstract

The reputation of an industry represents an important strategic resource and this has already been highlighted in the past for the horticulture sector. However, the heterogeneity of horticulture makes it difficult for the industry to be perceived by society. An online survey was conducted to identify the most important characteristics of horticulture and to identify the reasons for its good or bad reputation. For this purpose, 102 experts – consultants from the horticultural industry – were asked to describe horticulture and the reputation of the industry. An evaluation of the survey, based on a qualitative content analysis using inductive category formation, indicated that horticulture is primarily associated with its diverse activities and various product groups. In terms of the product groups, the focus is on food products. The reputation of the industry is rated as ‘slightly positive’ on a 7-point Likert scale, with an average of 4.4.