Collective marketing plays a major role in farming throughout the world. In most countries farmers have found that they can increase their incomes and efficiency by working with otherfarmers to market their products, purchase their inputs and co-ordinate their farming techniques.
Previously, most agricultural markets were controlled through state-operated marketing boards which fixed prices for surplus production. For that reason, there was no strong incentive to conduct collective marketing. Now that marketing activities are almost entirely handled by private traders, farmers are obliged to make their own favorable marketing decisions. Many agricultural development agencies are encouraging to take on collective marketing in order to realize its fruitfulness, among these include; improving economies of scale, reduced transaction costs, increased production & quality, obtaining communal equipments and services etc. However, farmers need to be informed about the benefits and how they can be achieved in a well formed system.
CAPCA has initiated the practice of collective marketing to its members, and in this some farmer associations and cooperatives have adopted it. It has been noted that collective marketing can easily be accomplished if farmers agree to plant the same varieties of crops to ensure required quality and quantity, adopt similar growing, harvesting and post-harvest techniques, meeting operational costs like transport & storage collectively. The most successful strategies for collective marketing include co-operation with the mission of selling the goods and a high degree of collective activity right through the farming process.
Small scale farmers are therefore advised to follow the trend of collective marketing as a way which will enable them improve their incomes sustainably.
Compiled by
Tonny Kibirige
Marketing officer-CAPCA
