IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v82y2024icp1102-1112.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Linking farmers to markets: Barriers, solutions, and policy options

Author

Listed:
  • Ma, Wanglin
  • Rahut, Dil Bahadur
  • Sonobe, Tetsushi
  • Gong, Binlei

Abstract

The 15 studies highlighted in this special issue collectively underscore the significant impacts of market participation on farmers’ well-being, income, poverty reduction, dietary diversity, and rural economic growth. They also delve into the importance of marketing channel choice and the role of e-commerce in enhancing farmers’ market linkages. In addition, they address farmers’ preferences for market access interventions and the examination of market power within the agricultural industry, especially in low-income countries. The key findings include: (1) Market participation is critical for improving farmers’ subjective and objective well-being, with studies demonstrating positive impacts on income, poverty reduction, and dietary diversity; (2) The choice of marketing channels significantly influences income, with evidence suggesting online sales can substantially increase farmers’ earnings; (3) E-commerce plays a pivotal role in connecting farmers to broader markets, leading to income growth and enhanced market visibility; (4) Understanding and addressing farmers’ preferences for market access through interventions like systematization policies and joint ventures can facilitate better market integration and support inclusive business models; (5) Analysis of market power within the primary foods industry reveals rising markups, particularly affecting low-income countries. These findings suggest that policies and interventions aiming to improve market access, promote e-commerce, and consider farmers’ preferences and market power dynamics can significantly impact farmers’ incomes, poverty levels, and overall rural economic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Ma, Wanglin & Rahut, Dil Bahadur & Sonobe, Tetsushi & Gong, Binlei, 2024. "Linking farmers to markets: Barriers, solutions, and policy options," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1102-1112.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:82:y:2024:i:c:p:1102-1112
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2024.05.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592624001188
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2024.05.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Warr & Waleerat Suphannachart, 2021. "Agricultural Productivity Growth and Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Thailand," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 525-546, June.
    2. van Asselt, Joanna & Useche, Pilar, 2022. "Agricultural commercialization and nutrition; evidence from smallholder coffee farmers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    3. Tang, Ke & Xiong, Qiaoqin & Zhang, Fengyu, 2022. "Can the E-commercialization improve residents’ income? --Evidence from “Taobao Counties” in China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 540-553.
    4. Sylvester Ochieng Ogutu & Theda Gödecke & Matin Qaim, 2020. "Agricultural Commercialisation and Nutrition in Smallholder Farm Households," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(2), pages 534-555, June.
    5. Wanglin Ma & Marco A. Marini & Dil B. Rahut, 2023. "Farmers’ organizations and sustainable development: An introduction," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(3), pages 683-700, September.
    6. Victor Couture & Benjamin Faber & Yizhen Gu & Lizhi Liu, 2021. "Connecting the Countryside via E-Commerce: Evidence from China," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 3(1), pages 35-50, March.
    7. Shiladitya Dey & Piyush K. Singh, 2023. "Role of market participation on smallholder vegetable farmers' wellbeing: Evidence from matching approach in Eastern India," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(4), pages 1217-1237, October.
    8. Ullah, Ayat & Arshad, Muhammad & Kächele, Harald & Zeb, Alam & Mahmood, Nasir & Müller, Klaus, 2020. "Socio-economic analysis of farmers facing asymmetric information in inputs markets: evidence from the rainfed zone of Pakistan," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    9. Martin Paul JR. Tabe Ojong & Michael Hauser & Kai Mausch, 2022. "Does Agricultural Commercialisation Increase Asset and Livestock Accumulation on Smallholder Farms in Ethiopia?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(3), pages 524-544, March.
    10. Muto, Megumi & Yamano, Takashi, 2009. "The Impact of Mobile Phone Coverage Expansion on Market Participation: Panel Data Evidence from Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 1887-1896, December.
    11. Arvin, Mak B. & Pradhan, Rudra P. & Nair, Mahendhiran S., 2021. "Are there links between institutional quality, government expenditure, tax revenue and economic growth? Evidence from low-income and lower middle-income countries," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 468-489.
    12. Fischer, Elisabeth & Qaim, Matin, 2012. "Linking Smallholders to Markets: Determinants and Impacts of Farmer Collective Action in Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 1255-1268.
    13. Haji, Jema, 2022. "Impact of agricultural commercialization on child nutrition in Ethiopia," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    14. Abena Oduro & Isaac Osei-Akoto, 2008. "Market Participation and Rural Poverty in Ghana in the Era of Globalization," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 20(1), pages 93-113.
    15. Dubale Abate & Fikadu Mitiku & Rijalu Negash, 2022. "Commercialization level and determinants of market participation of smallholder wheat farmers in northern Ethiopia," African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(2), pages 428-439, February.
    16. Tuan M. Ha & Ockie J.H. Bosch & Nam C. Nguyen, 2015. "Systemic interventions addressing market access challenges of smallholder vegetable farmers in Northern Vietnam," International Journal of Markets and Business Systems, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(2), pages 136-158.
    17. Theresa Rubhara & Maxwell Mudhara, 2019. "Commercialization and its determinants among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. A case of Shamva District, Mashonaland Central Province," African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(6), pages 711-718, September.
    18. O’Hara, Jeffrey K. & Low, Sarah A., 2020. "Online Sales: A Direct Marketing Opportunity for Rural Farms?," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(2), pages 222-239, May.
    19. Liu, Yuying & Renwick, Alan & Fu, Xinhong, 2019. "The role of agricultural cooperatives in serving as a marketing channel: evidence from low-income regions of Sichuan province in China," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 22(2).
    20. Edward B. Barbier, 2023. "Overcoming digital poverty traps in rural Asia," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 1403-1420, August.
    21. Kilimani, Nicholas & Buyinza, Faisal & Guloba, Madina, 2022. "Crop commercialization and nutrient intake among farming households in Uganda," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    22. Abena D. Oduro & Isaac Osei-Akoto, 2007. "Market Participation and Rural Poverty in Ghana in the Era of Globalization," WIDER Working Paper Series RP2007-70, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yuxuan Xu & Jiangbo Chang & Fang Su, 2024. "Multi-Scale Evaluation and Simulation of Livelihood Efficiency in Post-Poverty Mountainous Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-35, October.
    2. Shanhu Zhang & Jinxiu Yang & Yun Shen & Zhuoli Li, 2024. "How Do Digital Capabilities Impact the Sustained Growth of Entrepreneurial Income: Evidence from Chinese Farmer Entrepreneurs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-24, August.
    3. Mishal Trevor Morepje & Moses Zakhele Sithole & Nomzamo Sharon Msweli & Azikiwe Isaac Agholor, 2024. "The Influence of E-Commerce Platforms on Sustainable Agriculture Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-24, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Hepei & Ma, Wanglin & Li, Junpeng & Yang, Wei, 2023. "Can citrus farmers earn more from selling online?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1549-1560.
    2. Kifle T. Sebhatu & Fatemeh Taheri & Tekeste Berhanu & Miet Maertens & Steven Van Passel & Marijke D'Haese, 2021. "Beyond focus: Exploring variability of service provision of agricultural cooperatives," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 92(2), pages 207-231, June.
    3. Fuhong Zhang & Apurbo Sarkar & Hongyu Wang, 2021. "Does Internet and Information Technology Help Farmers to Maximize Profit: A Cross-Sectional Study of Apple Farmers in Shandong, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.
    4. Wanglin Ma & Sanghyun Hong & W. Robert Reed & Jianhua Duan & Phong Luu, 2023. "Yield effects of agricultural cooperative membership in developing countries: A meta‐analysis," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(3), pages 761-780, September.
    5. Guyo Godana Dureti & Martin Paul Jr. Tabe‐Ojong & Enoch Owusu‐Sekyere, 2023. "The new normal? Cluster farming and smallholder commercialization in Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 54(6), pages 900-920, November.
    6. Yuying Liu & Ruiling Shi & Yiting Peng & Wei Wang & Xinhong Fu, 2022. "Impacts of Technology Training Provided by Agricultural Cooperatives on Farmers’ Adoption of Biopesticides in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, February.
    7. Schulte, Oliver & Mumber, Julian & Nguyen, Trung Thanh, 2023. "Agricultural commercialisation, asset growth and poverty in rural Vietnam," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 67(03), April.
    8. Li, Wei & He, Weiwei, 2024. "Revenue-increasing effect of rural e-commerce: A perspective of farmers' market integration and employment growth," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 482-493.
    9. Zheng, Hongyun & Ma, Wanglin, 2023. "Impact of agricultural commercialization on dietary diversity and vulnerability to poverty: Insights from Chinese rural households," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 558-569.
    10. Chen, Chen & Gan, Christopher & Li, Junpeng & Lu, Yao & Rahut, Dil, 2023. "Linking farmers to markets: Does cooperative membership facilitate e-commerce adoption and income growth in rural China?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1155-1170.
    11. Huma Neupane & Krishna P. Paudel & Mandeep Adhikari & Qinying He, 2022. "Impact of cooperative membership on production efficiency of smallholder goat farmers in Nepal," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(2), pages 337-356, June.
    12. Khan, Nawab & Ray, Ram L. & Zhang, Shemei & Osabuohien, Evans & Ihtisham, Muhammad, 2022. "Influence of mobile phone and internet technology on income of rural farmers: Evidence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    13. Zeng, Miao & Du, Jiang & Zhu, Xiaoyu & Deng, Xin, 2023. "Does internet use drive rural household savings? Evidence from 7825 farmer households in rural China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    14. Ahmet Candemir & Sabine Duvaleix & Laure Latruffe, 2021. "Agricultural Cooperatives And Farm Sustainability – A Literature Review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 1118-1144, September.
    15. Dzanku, Fred M. & Jirström, Magnus & Marstorp, Håkan, 2015. "Yield Gap-Based Poverty Gaps in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 336-362.
    16. Mateus de Carvalho Reis Neves & Felipe de Figueiredo Silva & Carlos Otávio de Freitas & Marcelo José Braga, 2021. "The Role of Cooperatives in Brazilian Agricultural Production," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, September.
    17. Li, Junpeng & Ma, Wanglin & Gong, Binlei, 2023. "Market participation and subjective well-being of maize farmers," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 941-960.
    18. De Carvalho Reis Neves, Mateus & Freitas, Carlos Otavio & De Figueiredo Silva, Felipe, 2021. "Does cooperative membership increase rural income? Evidence from Brazilian agricultural sector," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 314006, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    19. Enoch M Kikulwe & Elisabeth Fischer & Matin Qaim, 2014. "Mobile Money, Smallholder Farmers, and Household Welfare in Kenya," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(10), pages 1-13, October.
    20. Hajjar, Reem & Newton, Peter & Ihalainen, Markus & Agrawal, Arun & Alix-Garcia, Jennifer & Castle, Sarah E. & Erbaugh, James T. & Gabay, Monica & Hughes, Karl & Mawutor, Samuel & Pacheco, Pablo & Scho, 2021. "Levers for alleviating poverty in forests," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:82:y:2024:i:c:p:1102-1112. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.