Grower direct marketing systems

 

 

Jean-Joseph Cadilhon

FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand

 

 

Abstract

Purpose of the review: Direct marketing is currently enjoying strong popularity among policy makers and agricultural extension officers who wish to increase the benefits of market access to farmers. This review reports the findings of recent publications that study direct farm marketing systems. It gives the reader an idea of the different grower direct farm marketing systems developed to date and the conceptual frameworks being used to analyse them.

Main findings: There is a range of direct marketing ventures available to farmers, all with advantages and drawbacks. The review identifies a clear dearth of academic studies researching the impacts of direct marketing on the farming and management systems of the agribusinesses involved. Likewise, there is a lack of research on the consequences of direct marketing on producers’ market share and market power. Finally, robust assessments of the implications of farm direct marketing on rural development in the local area are also rare, the majority of studies being limited to prospective thinking.

Directions for future research: Future research should focus on these topics and try to guide policy makers with more scientific evidence on the impacts of grower direct marketing systems on the production systems of farmers and rural communities. Research on this subject in developing countries would also be useful.

 

Keywords: direct marketing; diversification; agro-industry; rural development

 

Stewart Postharvest Review 2007, 3: 10

Published online 01 June 2007

doi: 10.2212/spr.2007.3.10