Rising and unstable prices of rice and other staple foods threaten the food security of millions worldwide. These fluctuations raise concerns about market response to price changes, especially regarding incentives for food production. This study investigates how the price dynamics in the Asian rice markets are affected by crises in low-quality rice by analysing monthly export price data for 25% broken rice for Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Pakistan. We test the rice price transmission and rice market integration of these countries using a vector autoregression (VAR) model. The results reveal a tendency for price signals to move together across our sample countries, despite variations in their rice production and consumption patterns. This suggests that rice price shocks are transmitted between Asian exporting countries, particularly for low-quality rice. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that price dynamics in these markets are primarily influenced by crises affecting domestic agro-food chains and government policies related to price and trade. To improve production incentives during crises, governments could promote competition among traders, wholesalers, and input providers, and support farmers' income through supply oriented policies, including input vouchers and agricultural credit. These policies can mitigate price and trade distortions that can negatively affect price incentives and food security.

The immense growth of virtual streaming is reshaping shopping habits. However, limited research, if any, has focused on the differentiated effects of interaction types—namely product interactions versus social interactions—used by virtual streamers, and their distinct impacts on purchase intentions. This study, focusing on China’s booming virtual streamer market, examines how artificial intelligence (AI)-generated virtual streamers’ interaction types impact consumer purchase intention, considering the mediating roles of social presence and perceived value, and the moderating effect of product types. Utilizing a randomized scenario experiment among young consumers, the data was collected during a cross-sectional timeframe for two case scenarios, from which we analyzed 100 valid responses in Case 1 and 201 valid responses in Case 2. Results showed that product-focused interactions enhance purchase intention for utilitarian products via perceived value, while social interactions boost purchase intention for hedonic products through social presence. These findings suggest that AIgenerated virtual streamers can strategically tailor interaction styles based on product categories to maximize livestream commerce effectiveness. This study enriches understanding of digital consumer behavior and provides actionable insights for retailers deploying AI-generated virtual streamers. It also highlights social presence and perceived value as key psychological mechanisms in shaping consumer responses to virtual streamer interactions.

Purpose – Many marketers and businesses have used social media influencers to enhance their brand awareness. These influencers act as endorsers who link brands and consumers, fostering consumer engagement. This paper aims to systematically review the live-stream influencer marketing literature to identify key theoretical models and influential factors from the user (influencers and consumers) perspective. Additionally, we also provide insights for future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach – We adopted a systematic literature review (SLR) approach to synthesise research unbiasedly and comprehensively. In the preliminary stage, 1,144 articles were found; after thorough screening, 93 research papers were selected for review and synthesis.

Findings – The Findings from this SLR allow us to better understand the application of live-stream influencer marketing theories to consumer purchase behaviour. We identified the widely used theories, such as the stimulus-organism-response model, along with key motivational factors influencing viewers (potential consumers), their attitudes and behaviours (including purchase intention), and other related aspects.

Originality/value – This SLR is among the first to investigate the theories used and motivational factors of livestream influencer marketing on consumer purchase intention.

The Kenyan agricultural sector contributes approximately 34 per cent to Kenya’s GDP annually and accounts for 65 per cent of total exports and more than 75 per cent of rural employment (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics [KNBS], 2020). In terms of agricultural market participation, smallscale farmers account for 63 per cent of marketed farm produce in Kenya (Republic of Kenya, 2019a). In fact, small- scale farmers account for over 80 per cent of milk production, 70 per cent of maize farming, 70 per cent of beef production, 65 per cent of coffee production, and 50 per cent of tea farming (KNBS, 2019). Efforts (for example, development of agri- food safety policies such as the National Food Safety Policy 2021 (Republic of Kenya, 2021b) and the National Livestock Policy 2019 (Republic of Kenya, 2019b) have been made to ensure that Kenyans have access to safe and quality food as specified by Article 43 of the Constitution of Kenya (Republic of Kenya, 2010, p 31). However, creating a culture of compliance with agri-food safety regulations has remained a significant challenge within the Kenyan agricultural sector (Kutto et al, 2011; Odwar et al, 2014). Importantly, compliance with critical food safety regulations, especially in the marketing of contaminated farm produce, still exists (Republic of Kenya, 2019a).