Agricultural marketing is concerned with relating the supply of products to its potential demand in such a way as to satisfy the needs and wants of buyers and create a profit for the supplier. The process of marketing is that of transferring goods and/or services from producer to consumer at a profit. It should add maximum value to the product at minimum cost. Marketing is thus concerned with such activities as:- pricing, selling, merchandising, advertising, promotion, packaging, market research, transport, destination, placement, planning, and accounting. In fact all those processes which will enable he/she to maximise the added value.
Course Structure
This course is comprised of eight lessons, outlined below:
- Agricultural Marketing Concepts
- Farm Marketing Strategies
- Target Marketing
- Handling Produce
- Customer Relations
- Market Research
- Promotions
- Managing Marketing
Aims
- Explain the role of marketing in business and the importance of marketing in the business plan.
- Assess the relative importance of marketing planning and to determine marketing strategies in relation to farming.
- Identify target markets to select suitable marketing methods.
- Explain the physical handling of products in the marketing process, including packaging, labelling, presentation and transportation.
- Plan to maintain sound customer relations in an agricultural business.
- Conduct market research into a product or service in the agricultural industry.
- Plan to manage the promotional program for an agricultural business.
- Develop strategies to manage the marketing of an agricultural enterprise.
Duration: 100 hours
Set Your Target Market First
Who are you going to try and sell to?
Some farmers aim to sell direct to the public (eg. Through farmers markets, roadside stalls etc; while others sell to distributors, retailers or factories)
If you are a distributor, retailer or manufacturer, you may be receiving produce from a farmer, packaging/repackaging, processing and/or transporting it; and then selling it on to a retailer, the public or someone else. If you are in this position, you may not be a farmer; but you are still very much involved in agricultural marketing.
Sometimes you may be aiming to sell to a variety of target markets.
Defining the Target
There are many different ways you might define a target market; for example:
Example:
If you aim to sell direct to the public, your target might be tourists and householders, mature adults of all ages. Alternatively it might be a particular demographic income and age group living locally who will regularly purchase from you.
Learn to sell farm produce. The core activity of any farm is producing animals or crops, but if the produce is not marketed at the right time for the right price, the whole financial viability of the farm is at best unstable. This course develops your ability to 
analyse and manage marketing problems in an agricultural enterprise.
Marketing is not just selling! It involves:
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Attracting customers
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Persuading them to buy
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Selling
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Keeping customers satisfied (so they come back!), by using the above and other strategies.
