Agri-Food Marketing in Developing Countries: The Micromarketing and Macromarketing Perspectives, but What about the Mesomarketing Perspective?

Agri-food marketing in developing countries is usually seen from a micromarketing perspective, and to a relatively lesser degree, from a macromarketing perspective. However, there is also another perspective within agri-food marketing that is mesomarketing. In this regard, the research attempted to further research the realm of agri-food mesomarketing and attempt to better ascertain, assess and diagnose mesomarketing in agri-food marketing in developing economies. The findings from the research provided that agri-food mesomarketing has an important role to play, not only as per its conduit between micromarketing and macromarketing, but for its importance per se. In fact, the research findings provided that a more holistic approach to agri-food marketing is important i.e. the combination and integration of micromarketing, mesomarketing and macromarketing. The research also found the importance of agri-food mesomarketing in terms of, for example, further developing regional and/or provincial agri-food marketing systems within a country; developing city, town and village agri-food marketing systems; developing networks of local vertical, horizontal and facilitating marketing systems; developing markets in both rural and urban areas; facilitating and enhancing community agri-food marketing systems, community and non- autochthonous community-based enterprise marketing practices and group collective marketing practices ; fostering growth poles and economic corridors as well as in-country regional and rural development policies. However what also emerged from the research findings was the evident lack of research specifically on agri-food mesomarketing, a lack of research conducted taking a specific agri-food mesomarketing perspective in particular and also a lack of research on agri-food mesomarketing practices.