Question

Question is from the textbook "The Agricultural Marketing System" :

Select a high-income and a low-income country and compare their agricultural marketing systems. Who are the producers, processors, consumers, and regulators?

Answer 1

High income is Japan and low income is Kenya

The agricultural produce reach the market all over the country with the help of market channels and this is referred as agricultural marketing system . In Kenya ,which is a low income country,agriculture remains a dominant sector in the economy. A major challenge in Kenya remains to bring technical change in agriculture to increase agricultural productivity.There is also need for developing market mechanism and exploit the gains from trade.There is a need for improved market infrastructure for agricultural produce to reach the market.There should be improved road ,rail and communication infrastructure . Middlemen dominate the market.

In Japan , which is a high income country,there is shortage of farmland.Japanese agriculture has been characterized as sick due to declining cultivable land and agricultural income ,as farmers turned to non farming activities.. However Japan is self sufficient in agricultural products like rice.In order to increase productivity, consolidation of farmland were attempted and farmland banks were introduced which looked into all matters of agriculture.Tech saavy farmers are now changing the sinking nature of agriculture and marketing their produce directly in the fancy department stores in Japan and outside countries, doing away with middlemen completely.Because of problems related to agriculture there is trend of smart agriculture in Japan where there will be use of robot technology in agriculture.

The producers are domestic and international producers,the processors are private and public firms,consumers are domestic or international consumers and regulators are the government and the people.