Strategies for food safety certification adoption in malaysia’s agriculture industry using fuzzy delphi method and system dynamics / Mohd Shahir Bin Omar

Faculty of Industrial Management

Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy) -- Universiti Malaysia Pahang - 2025

Includes bibliographical references

Food safety certification among farmers is an important element in verifying that the food produced by farmers is safe and of high quality for consumer consumption. However, in Malaysia, only one out of 32 registered farmers adopt this certification, despite the government’s active promotional efforts to identify the elements that influence the adoption of food safety certification among farmers in Malaysia. This study also develops a simulation model to examine the relationships among these elements. The final objective of this study is to propose strategies to encourage more farmers to adopt food safety certification. In the first phase, the elements influencing the adoption of food safety certification were identified through a preliminary study and a literature search of journals published between 2018 and 2023. The identified elements were then categorized using the TOE framework and Eco-Innovation Theory. Subsequently, validation by 30 experts was conducted using the FDM. A total of 33 elements were identified, of which only 22 were agreed upon by the experts. The 2a phase involves developing a simulation model using the system dynamics approach. Eight reinforcing and three balancing loops were constructed. Five elements were found to have strong interrelationships: awareness, market channels, training, incentives, and enforcement. The simulation model indicates that awareness and enforcement are the two most critical elements requiring attention. The 2b phase of the study proposes two strategies to enhance the adoption of food safety certification: increasing the allocation for awareness campaigns by 5%, 10%, and 15% and strengthening enforcement by 5%, 10%, and 15%, respectively. The simulation results show that increasing awareness campaign funding by 5%–10% could increase the number of farmers adopting FSC by 5%–97%. Moreover, the number of farmers who remain in the certification programme also increases by 4.99% to 14.93% through the proposed strategies. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the adoption of food safety certification among farmers in Malaysia. It also offers practical contributions by helping stakeholders develop more effective action plans to increase farmer participation in food safety certification programmes.