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Abstract
Consumers are increasingly demanding for information on product quality, methods and
characteristics of geographical region of production. As such, protecting unique products as
geographical indications is on the increase. Geographical indications identify a product as
originating from a region where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic desired by
consumers, is essentially or exclusively attributable to its geographical origin. Having the
legal legislation is necessary but not sufficient factor in protection of products as
geographical indications (GI). Other essential factors include the producers’ awareness of the
uniqueness and willingness to register the product for protection and marketing. Their
perceived benefits and other characteristics will influence their decision to register the
product as a GI. The study sought to understand underlying variables describing producers’
perceptions of the quality of coffee in Muranga and mango in Makueni as potential
geographical indications. At least 132 producers randomly sampled were interviewed in each
county using semi-structured questionnaires. The study applied factor analysis to summarise
producers’ perceptions and regressed the resulting factors against a set of explanatory
variables to determine factors influencing these perceptions. Six and five underlying variable
(factors) were identified for coffee and mango producers’ perceptions respectively. The
factors explained at least 75.3% and 71.5% of the variance in the original variables for coffee
and mango producers’ perceptions respectively. The regression results with varying Fstatistics
showed the importance of conducting specific analysis for each product in each
region to identify the potential for protecting the products as GI.