What does matter most for farmers’ choice of marketing channels?

Evidence from coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the marketing channel preferences of small-scale farmers and explore the factors influencing their choices in three coastal districts of Bangladesh. The results showed that farmers mostly preferred to sell from farm stands, while a significant percentage preferred to sell at the marketplace or use both channels. A multi­nomial logistic regression (MNL) analysis revealed that factors such as gender, farm size, family income, ownership of cart/vehicle, and distance significantly influenced farmer marketing channel preferences. Specifically, female farmers, farmers with lower incomes, and farmers without vehicle access preferred selling directly from farm stands. The findings suggest that programs promoting market inclusion or farmer cooperatives should be further explored to increase farmers' participation in marketing channels. Overall, improving access to business opportunities and addressing transpor­tation issues can help small-scale farmers overcome market-related inefficiencies and improve their economic development.