1. To what extent did air transportation of fresh strawberries to market contributed to the growth of the strawberry industry in California during the 1985-1994 period?

2. Is the competitive position of air transportation in the shipment of fresh California strawberries in the 1995-2004 period likely to deteriorate?

Research hypotheses will be tested in relation to each of the research questions that will be investigated through the conduct of the proposed study. These research hypotheses are as follows:

1. One hypothesis will be tested in relation to research question number one. This hypothesis is as follows: Air transportation of fresh strawberries accounted for 25 percent of the growth in the shipments of California strawberries to markets 1,000 miles or more distant from the industry's production areas and storage facilities in California over the 1985-1994 period.

2. One hypothesis will be tested in relation to research question two. This hypothesis is as follows: The market share of air transportation in the shipment of fresh California strawberries to markets 1,000 miles or more distant from the industry's produ

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) poses a strong threat to the California agriculture industry (Hall, 1993, p. 3A). Strawberries are among the fresh produce that will be allowed into the United States from Mexico to compete directly with California fresh agricultural products. Production costs in Mexico are substantially lower than those in California in the production of strawberries.

Illingsworth, Monteith. (1992, 26 August). Airlines caught asleep at helm as container lines move. Journal of Commerce and Commercial, 393(27800), 6B-7B.

Strawberry production in California in 1982 exceeded 534 million pounds (Bureau of the Census, 1988, p. 395). By 1987, production of strawberries in California had grown to more than 725 million pounds. By 1993, production exceeded one billion pounds of strawberries in California (McLain, 1994, p. B1). California growers hold an 80 percent market share of the fresh strawberry market in North America (McClure, 1992, pp. 23, 102).

The data required for the investigation of research question one and for the testing of research hypothesis number one will be obtained from published government and industry sources. The data required for the investigation of research question number two and the testing of research hypothesis number two will be collected through the administration of a survey questionnaire to a sample composed of both California strawberry producers and managers of air transportation companies engaged in the shipment of fresh strawberries from California producers to distant markets.

Improved storage technologies also have contributed to the ability of the industry to operate on a year-around basis (Pszczol