This article shows that marketing channel theory, which has been extensively applied in developed countries, can also be of great value to the developing world. Notably, the channel approach makes it possible to explain the number of trade levels observed in food marketing systems. We propose...

In this article we study farmers' buying processes, in particular the selection of a supplier for a given farm input. Extensiveness of farmers' buying processes is defined as the degree information acquisition and alternative evaluation effort carried out to prepare that selection. Hypotheses,...

Agribusiness companies and farmers must cope with the risk of price changes when buying or selling agricultural commodities. Hedging price risk with agricultural commodity futures offers a way of minimizing this risk. Information is needed on the hedging effectiveness of these futures. Because...

Twelve food-manufacturing companies in six European countries have been studied with respect to the way in which they innovate, their motivations, and their emphasis on product or process innovation. It is suggested that the traditional “demand-pull” versus “technology-push” versus “a...

Building on recent advances in cooperative literature and practice, we conceive two key organizational features of cooperatives: cooperative structure (in terms of control, ownership, and cost|pricing policies resulting in traditional and re-engineered co-ops) as well as entrepreneurial...