The direct farmer's market: a tool for rural female empowerment

Abstract

PurposeWomen play an important role in marketing and their participation is greatest where trade is traditional. This study aims to explore this most basic level of direct marketing.Design/methodology/approachTo understand the turn around in the life of these women, the study examined the opportunity accrued to women farmers through participating in direct farmer's markets in Japan. Purposive sampling method was adopted in selecting the respondents. To establish change(s) in respondent's status; the snowball method was used to select non‐direct farmers markets (DFM) users for comparison while data collection was done by structured questionnaire and interview schedule.FindingsThe findings of the study revealed that most of the DFM studied were established to improve rural women status.Practical implicationsThe relationship between the empowerment of both groups and selected characteristics suggests that their empowerment in familial and mobility would be decreasing as they advance in age.Originality/valueMuch of the current direct marketing research is focused on the high‐level/high‐tech sectors. This research investigates the most fundamental level of direct marketing: one‐to‐one interactions and transactions.

Farm resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of California direct market farmers

“…It also countered pandemic-specific international studies on both the general farming population and small-holder farmers indicating that women farmers were more vulnerable than their male counterparts to the stresses of the pandemic ( de Paz et al, 2020 ; Kantamneni, 2020 ; Parry and Gordon, 2020 ). However, our findings do align with research highlighting the specific benefits of direct market farming for women farmers such as empowerment, gender equality, and caring for the community, environment, and oneself, that has led to a higher prevalence of satisfaction in farming for female direct market farmers ( Jarosz, 2011 ; Tijani and Yano, 2007 ; Wells and Gradwell, 2001 ; Zirham and Palomba, 2016 ). These benefits may have translated to greater resilience to the impacts of the pandemic for women direct market farmers and suggests that women direct market farmers in California may have been similarly capable of adapting to the pandemic's challenges.…”

Does direct farm marketing fulfill its promises? analyzing job satisfaction among direct-market farmers in Canada

“…Compared to the national average, a disproportionate number of surveyed farmers also practiced organic farming. Furthermore, while most farmers marketing through conventional supply chains are men, almost half of respondents were women, which echoes the results of previous studies that point to a large presence of female producers in SFSCs, agritourism, and organic farming (DeLind and Ferguson 1999;McGehee et al 2007;Tijani and Yano 2007;Trauger 2004;Trauger et al 2010;Finan 2011;Jarosz 2011;Sumner and Llewelyn 2011;Annes and Wright 2015).…”

“…From a social standpoint, farmers involved in SFSCs build positive connections with other community food stakeholders, such as local consumers and other farmers, leading to the creation of trust and social capital (Kneafsey et al 2013 ). Studies have also highlighted the specific benefits of direct selling for women farmers (Tijani and Yano 2007 ; Zirham and Palomba 2016 ; Ball 2019 ). Despite these positive findings, SFSCs are not exempt from certain criticisms made of conventional supply chains, such as unequal power relations among farmers and between farmers and consumers (Hinrichs 2000 ; DuPuis and Goodman 2005 ).…”

Socio-Cultural Dynamics of Women Participation in Socio-Economic Development: Experiences of Women in The Bongo Traditional Area of the Upper East Region

“…Low education therefore was found generally to limit the upward mobility of Nigerian women. The act of seeking permission from the husband which is a cultural norm confirms the view of Tijani and Yano (2007) who evinced that, in spite of the fact that women are aware of their rights, it is still difficult for women to exercise their rights due to socio-cultural barriers. Beger and Buvinic (1990, p. 102) noted that there are various factors that limit women's access to credit and socio-cultural factors can be a major limitation to women's access to credit.…”