Maddening Myths of Agricultural Marketing in Developing Countries

Some officials in developing country governments, development experts, and donor agency representatives adhere to false assumptions about the organization and performance of food systems in developing countries and to preconceptions about the roles of certain participants in the food system. While these views may have at least a partial basis in fact, empirical studies have generally shown that the views are flawed in important respects or not widely applicable. Nevertheless, these preconceptions can be pervasive, often having a negative impact on developing country policies, regulations and programs affecting the food system. The author argues that one important role of food system analysts is to challenge the myths, presenting empirical evidence in concise and skillful fashion to skeptical policy-makers, specialists and donor agency officials.     

Supply and Marketing Organization for Agricultural Processing in the Developing Countries

In many developing countries the processing of agricultural and fishery products is a major contribution to development. However, projects to set up such enterprises there have often failed. Inadequate attention to arrangements for obtaining raw material and marketing the processed product bears much of the responsibility. The systems used by enterprises that have been successful are examined and the advantages and limitations of alternative forms of enterprise assessed.     

当前非洲海外耕地投资东道国耕地投资潜力评价

研究目的：评价当前非洲34个海外耕地投资东道国的耕地投资潜力,为中国投资者在以上区域辨识被投资国比较优势、找准投资目标、提高投资效率提供参考。研究方法：灰色分析法,数学建模法。研究结果：从资源条件、生产基础、宏观环境、投资现状4个方面对非洲34个海外耕地投资东道国进行了评价,进而在此基础上实现了对以上各国投资潜力的评价。研究结论：当前非洲34个海外耕地投资东道国具有土地资源丰裕、生产基础薄弱、宏观环境稳定、投资空间广阔的特点,中国投资者应及时抓住机遇,积极进行战略布局。     

The Palm Oil Import Demand in Middle East and North African (MENA) Countries

Abstract

The palm oil import demand in selected Middle East and North African (MENA) countries, represented by 10 single equation models, have been analysed through utilizing the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) technique. The findings of the study show that the palm oil prices as well as the national income are significant determinants of palm oil demand across the 10 models. The prices of substitute oils in almost all countries have been found to play an important role in shaping the palm oil demand. Other factors such as high palm oil discount, the 1970s world petroleum prices boom, the anti-palm oil campaign, trade embargos on Libya and Iraq, and exchange rate also proved to be important factors affecting import demand for palm oil in some MENA countries.     

Towards an Integrated Marketing System of Agricultural Products in Developing Countries

The myriad of deficiencies that are responsible for derailing efforts of development in the developing countries has among its culprits, most of the marketing activities and institutions. The agricultural sector is the most important sector of development in developing countries; furthermore, it comprises the most catastrophic problems. A model is deemed necessary, one which offers the decislon makers in developing countries an opponuniv to find a solution to these identifiable problems. Such a model was proposed in this study to integrate the marketing system for their agricultural products. The model is conceptual in nature and is based on a system's approach; considerations were given to the following variables: current environments, domestic and international conditions, internal and external determinants, plans, macro and micro decisions, modifiers, spheres of activities, marketing mix, switches and ultimate output.     

Privatization of Statutory Marketing Authorities and the Regulatory Role of Government in Developing Countries

In recent years, there has been a trend away from intensive government participation in agricultural and food marketing systems in developing countries. As greater emphasis is placed on the role of private marketers, uncertainty prevails over the appropriate future role of statutory marketing authorities in these systems. This is especially so in respect of the regulatory role.     

Factors Determining Joint Venture Formation in the Agribusiness Sector of Sub-Saharan African Countries

This paper reviews the definition and the importance of joint ventures (J.V.'s) as well as the determining factors for their formation with particular reference to agribusiness in sub-Saharan African countries. The study provides evidence to show: · that African countries have increasingly attempted to create an attractive environment to encourage foreign investment in general, and J.V.'s in particular; · and that where J.V.'s have been successfully established the host countries have benefited substantially. The paper concludes that while the various reforms underway in terms of political changes, liberalisation of regulations, privatisation, and other measures taken by African countries should encourage J.V. formation, much remains to be done as regards proper implementation of policies, promotion of entrepreneurship, strengthening regional markets, overcoming the debt crisis, and improvement of the infrastructure, all of which would require substantial support from the international community.     

Determinants of Export Marketing Channel Design to Developed and Developing Countries: Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT

This exploratory study is intended to analyze the differences in the organization of export marketing channels to developing and developed countries from the perspective of exporters in a developed country. Our evidence seems to suggest that despite high transaction costs, U.S. seafood exporters are not interested in vertical forward integration of the Japanese and Western European seafood distribution channels. The U.S. seafood industry is geared toward providing raw materials to foreign re-processors than exporting value added products. Thus, lack of management commitment to foreign end-users makes vertical forward integration difficult. Hence, unlike in developing countries, the choice of an efficient transaction governance structure for the U.S. seafood export business depends on factors derived from transaction cost theory and management commitment to foreign markets. The study found that resources are not a problem to U.S. seafood exporters.     

Spatial Organization of Marketing Facilities in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Oilseeds in Sudan

Little attention has been devoted to the study of spatial organization of marketing facilities in developing countries, even though such studies would be most useful for a wide range of marketing problems. The results of such studies could be valuable to private and public decision-makers in developing countries whose policies and decisions determine the number, size and location of marketing facilities. The spatial organization model developed in this paper for application to the oilseeds industry in Sudan demonstrates the relevance of this research technique for developing country studies of marketing facilities. A linear programming transshipment model is utilized to determine the optimal spatial organization of oilseeds in Sudan when the costs of oilseed assembly, processing and distribution of oil and cake to final destinations are considered simultaneously. The optimal spatial organization of oilseed processing plants was determined for six alternative solutions. Model results indicate that the optimal organization of processing plants would be obtained with fewer and larger plants, resulting in lower transportation costs.     

Marketing Channel Choice and Marketing Efficiency Assessment in Agribusiness

In agribusiness, profitability critically depends on the choice of proper marketing channels. This article studies the factors influencing marketing channel choices of vegetable farmers. Vegetable farmers have generally 3 choices to sell their produce, which are formal and informal market participation vis-à-vis nonmarket participation. Ten independent variables are considered for the study and a multinomial logistic regression model is used for the analysis. The study finds 4 major variables that can influence farmers’ decision to shift from nonmarket participation to informal or formal market participation. The article further identifies 4 microlevel marketing channels and assesses their efficiency.     

主要发达国家空间规划进展及趋势

空间规划是社会经济发展到一定阶段,为解决空间协调、经济发展与资源环境协调等问题而作出的总体安排和战略部署,是政府进行宏观调控的有效工具.以德国、英国、日本和美国为代表的发达国家,近十年来空间规划在相关法律、规划机构、规划体系以及规划编制等方面都在延续本国特色的同时有了相同的发展趋势和进展.我国应借鉴发达国家的经验整合现有的相关法规,建立合理有效的空间规划体系,协调规划中政府与市场、中央和地方的关系,逐步建立空间规划的法律体系,加强空间规划管理,针对现阶段国情,开展具有中国特色的空间规划研究.     

The Determinants of Rural Livelihood Diversification in Developing Countries

The diversity of rural livelihoods in low income developing countries is receiving increased attention in discussions about rural poverty reduction. This paper explores just one facet of livelihood diversity, namely the reasons for households to adopt multiple livelihood strategies. The distinction is made between diversification of necessity and diversification by choice. Six determinants of diversification are considered in the light of that distinction, and these are seasonality, risk, labour markets, credit markets, asset strategies, and coping strategies. The paper concludes that under the precarious conditions that characterise rural survival in many low income countries, diversification has positive attributes for livelihood security that outweigh negative connotations it may possess. Policy should facilitate rather than inhibit diversity. Diverse rural livelihoods are less vulnerable than undiversified ones.     

Ownership Structure in Agrifood Chains: The Marketing Cooperative

Globalization, technological developments, and consumer concerns press farmers and food producers to enhance product innovation and to seek more efficient production and distribution structures. These changes in agrifood markets shift the relative importance of the investments by different chain partners. It may therefore be necessary to change the allocation of ownership of essential assets to induce agents to make those investments that generate the chain optimum. This article analyzes the impact of ownership structure on investments in a three-tier supply chain from an incomplete contracting perspective. Circumstances are determined in which a marketing cooperative is the unique first-best ownership structure.     

关于地勘单位开展网络营销的思考

文章指出 ,在经济全球化、信息化的今天 ,网络经济作为全球经济的重要组成部分 ,显得越来越重要。文章从地勘单位实施网络营销的策略 ,应遵循的原则 ,以及应注意的几个问题等三个方面 ,论述了地勘单位应如何开展网络营销 ,以促进地勘经济超常规跨越式发展。     

Spatial and Temporal Marketing Considerations under Marketing Loan Programs

Marketing assistance loan (MAL) and loan deficiency payment (LDP) programs differ in their treatment of transportation costs. Marketing decisions are analyzed under these programs when producers are differentiated by location with respect to the terminal market. Under certain conditions, a complete characterization of equilibrium is developed. The proposed model broadly fits several "stylized" facts about producer enrollment in these programs. If LDPs are uniform at all locations, LDP programs do not interfere with marketing decisions. MAL programs distort the optimal marketing pattern by providing incentives to store for producers who should be among the first ones to supply the market.     

粮食产销平衡地区国有粮食企业购销经营状况及其发展趋势分析——以重庆市长寿区国有粮食购销企业为例

本文对重庆市长寿区国有粮食企业的收购、销售情况进行分析，得出结论：当前粮食产销平衡地区众多国有粮食企业无论是在收购还是在销售方面，其主渠道作用都在日益降低。造成这一状况的原因包括国有粮食企业历史负担重、经营成本高以及市场参与主体多元化造成的竞争加剧等，但其实质原因却是企业长期依靠财政补贴维持生存，缺乏真正的市场竞争力。因此，国家应把培育和完善多种粮食经营主体公平参与粮食市场竞争作为主要政策目标，保证粮食宏观调控的可持续性以及粮食市场稳定。