Gender Dimensions on Adoption of Non-traditional Agricultural Marketing Initiatives among Emerging Farmers in Rural Economies

Abstract

The demand for food has led to continuous changes in the food systems to cope with the changing needs and environment. Agricultural marketing remains critical for farmers’ performance, a component that contributes to the sustainability of food supply around the globe. The current study sought to investigate adopting initiatives that supplement traditional marketing mechanisms. The study was conducted in the Thulamela municipality of the Vhembe district. Furthermore, a simple random sampling technique was used to select 127 emerging farmers, while structured questionnaires were used as the data collection tool. The Discriminant Analysis method was used to draw distinct differences in gender dimensions toward adopting non-traditional agricultural marketing initiatives. The study findings revealed that female farmers were leading in adopting digital marketing initiatives compared to their counterparts. In comparison, male farmers were leading in adopting home-delivery initiatives as they enhanced customer retention. The study recommends future studies to investigate the economic benefits of various marketing initiatives associated with various commodities to enhance a product-marketing approach.