Marketing Information Systems for Small-Scale Farmers

Abstract

For developing countries to move towards more equitable and sustainable development requires attention to factors that inhibit the market participation of the poorer segments of rural populations, including small-scale farmers. This paper addresses problems small farmers face in accessing marketing information. It begins with a discussion of the asymmetric nature of marketing information and then relates some recent experiences that FAO has had helping small-scale farmers develop their own marketing informationsystems. It concludes with a presentation of some issues to consider when designing communication strategies that target marketing information for small-scale farmers.