The unique geographical features of coastal regions impede farmers’ ability to secure higher prices for their produce. Farmers from Bangladesh's coastal regions face challenges in accessing contemporary marketing facilities, as the transportation infrastructure has yet to reach its fullest extent. Therefore, improving farmers’ access to profitable markets is crucial to raising their farm incomes and productivity, supporting better livelihoods, and promoting rural development.
In a new JAFSCD article, What does matter most for farmers’ choice of marketing channels? Evidence from coastal Bangladesh, authors Md Mahbubul Alam, Sharjana Akter Shaba, and S. M. Ashik-Uz-Zaman investigate farmers’ preferences for marketing channels. Based on searches of the literature and considering local socio-economic and market-related conditions, the authors considered three marketing options: direct (i.e., farm stand sales), indirect (i.e., formal marketplace sales through intermediaries), and the choice of both channels.
A multinomial logit regression was used to explore the factors influencing farmers’ preferences for marketing channels for selling their produce. Although earlier research has examined potential influences on farmers’ decisions to engage in direct marketing, we found a lack of research investigating this phenomenon in coastal geographies. This study demonstrates and reaffirms the dynamics of farmers' marketing channel choices.
Choosing a marketing channel is one of a farmer’s most challenging and pivotal decisions when they are in coastal regions. Each marketing channel system caters to a distinct group of target consumers and entails varied income and costs. With this connection, this study counseled a multifaceted approach that establishes strong relationships and collaborates with local farmers and food processors to create a stable, year-round buyer base. Corresponding author Md Mahbubul Alam can be contacted at mahbubul.alam@sau.edu.bd
KEY FINDINGS
Most farmers prefer direct marketing channels, as they can get better prices for their produce by selling directly to the consumer.
Male farmers are more inclined to explore multiple marketing channels than female farmers.
Small-scale farmers with lower family incomes and with inadequate transportation facilities, and female farmers, tend to favor farm-stand sales over other options.
Factors such as access to the market, price information, and transportation facilities can limit farmers’ marketing channel preferences.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
Due to unique climatic conditions, coastal farmers face more significant difficulties accessing markets than inland farmers. Policymakers should focus on creating local markets close to farming communities or implementing a model to “bring the market to farmers’ doorsteps” — through mobile markets or localized aggregation points near farmland — to reduce farmers’ dependency on distant markets.
The authors recommend further research to explore other factors affecting coastal farmers' trading systems, such as climate resilience, post-harvest storage, and transportation infrastructure, to foster sustainable and resilient agricultural practices in the coastal region. This research was partially supported by a grant from the Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Research System (SAURES).
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Due to unique geographical conditions, small-scale farmers in coastal regions face multifaceted barriers to marketing their produce. In a new study published in @JAFSCD, researchers from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University in Bangladesh explored the factors influencing decisions of coastal farmers in Bangladesh regarding market channel access. . This offers policymakers new perspectives, such as using a multifaceted approach to establish strong collaborations with local farmers and food processors to create a stable, year-round buyer base. #farmers #coastalBangladesh #marketingchannel #multinomiallogisticregression
To learn more about the coastal marketing system, read the full @JAFSCD article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2025.142.032
