The agricultural sector has consistently been the dominant supplier of food products for the global market. In the turn of the times after the coronavirus pandemic and the demand for fresh, organic food, agriculture has become the primary food security component. The challenges experienced by farmers in recouping losses from the two-year lockdowns from early 2020-2021 require immediate actions to ensure that food demand and supply are at equilibrium. The cuniculture or rabbit farming sector had to multiply their stock to meet the demands for high-protein white meat.
Agriculture for food security, sustainability, and socio-economic growth has become Malaysia’s priority agenda. In the endemic phase, food issues and household-controlled items have been at the forefront of discussions to ameliorate the problem. The current situation with chicken and egg shortages aggravated the food insecurity issue. As an alternative to chicken, rabbit meat is suggested. However, the cuniculture industry also suffered setbacks during and after the pandemic lockdowns.
It is timely for the cuniculture industry in Malaysia to make a resurgent through a significant contribution to the food supply chain via digital technologies and green marketing practices.
The marketing of rabbit meat in Malaysia faces a dilemma due to its relatively low popularity and consumer awareness compared to other meat options, such as chicken or beef. The need for recognition poses a challenge in promoting rabbit meat as a viable and desirable choice in the Malaysian market. Consequently, the dilemma of farming or not farming rabbits for meat requires a comprehensive evaluation of market demand, dietary trends, economic viability, and environmental impact. Striking a balance between these factors is essential to make informed decisions regarding rabbit farming for meat production. Additionally, ongoing research, farming practice advancements, and stakeholder engagement can contribute to finding sustainable solutions. Unlike the chicken shortages, the rabbit farmers in Sg. Manik, Perak, Malaysia, has surplus meat and live unsold animals. With supply and operation costs increasing, rabbit farmers must adopt paradigm shifts and embrace green marketing practices, such as green promotion, which is closely connected to society. Aside from that, the packaging of broiler meat using eco-friendly products such as bioplastic will reduce plastic pollution. Thus the study explored green marketing awareness practices among rural farmers in the cuniculture sector.
The implications for the study were multi-pronged, where suggestions to alleviate the situation would be through green marketing practices as advocated in the reviewed literature. By creating innovative, organic products from environmentally-conscious farming methods, sustainable food production from recycled materials and products will reduce waste from the cuniculture sector while creating green campaign awareness that spills into green marketing and promotional awareness for alternative food sources, such as substituting chicken meat for rabbit meat. However, the findings showed that the farmers still need to gain awareness of green marketing practices, as evidenced by those still determining this strategy. The issue requires agency intervention as these rural farmers are into rabbit production as a side income and a full-time endeavor. The impediments of green marketing in farming are not an isolated case. In Pakistan, motivational factors such as legislation, competitiveness, and ethical reasoning have impeded the country’s green marketing implementation. Political intervention and stability in capacity building are crucial in socioeconomic growth and the stakeholders’ interest in the rural community’s welfare and well-being. With the state and federal government’s agenda of uplifting the socio-economy of rural communities, more should be done to assist them. Furthermore, the rabbit meat producers’ plight should receive more assistance as the sector has great potential to flourish and reinforce the country’s food security programs.
Climate change, global warming, and population increase have sparked the need to reorient Malaysia’s food security strategy by adopting green marketing practices in agriculture production. Going green is the way forward. Consequently, the Perak state has mulled over banning plastic bags and polystyrene packing and reconsidering enforcing the use of biodegradable plastic bags or bioplastics towards responsible household waste disposal for environmental preservation. To reiterate, the paper explored green marketing awareness practices among the small-scale cuniculture farmers at Cenderong Balai-Sg. Manik, Hilir Perak, Malaysia. From the qualitative method in rabbit research, the analysis indicated that the rabbit farmers needed to be aware of and practice green marketing strategies. The study’s implications showed that eco-friendly packaging products, for instance, will benefit the environment. A balance has to be reached for the farmers to be more innovative in selling their products and contribute to the food security agenda for environmental sustainability. Overall, green marketing in agriculture can help raise awareness, drive demand, and encourage adoption of sustainable farming practices. The adoption of green technologies by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), rabbit farmers can benefit from enhanced monitoring, automation, and data-driven decision-making, hence, improving efficiency, increasing productivity, animal welfare, and ultimately increasing the supply of rabbit meat to meet market demands.
To conclude, Malaysia’s cuniculture industry should flourish and become a significant food security contributor and the changing local foodscapes. Appropriate implementation of relevant regulations of broiler meat sales and marketing, continued research and development, and adequate support from the relevant government agencies are necessary to ensure the continuity of this industry. In addition, the Perak Rabbit Cooperative (Koperasi Arnab Pedaging Negeri Perak) must be more aggressive in ensuring that the rabbit meat produced is being marketed nationwide.
Authors: Iman Prihandono
Rugayah Hashim, Zaidi Mohd Aminuddin, Siti Hafsyah Idris, Iman Prihandono.
