Marketing in the field of agribusinesses is concerned with the services involved in moving an agricultural product from the farm to the consumer. It is also the planning, organizing, directing and handling of agricultural produce in such a way as to satisfy the farmer, producer and the consumer. Several interrelated activities are involved in doing this, such as planning production, growing and harvesting, grading, packing and packaging, transport, storage, agro- and food processing, distribution, advertising and sale. Marketing also encompasses the entire range of supply chain operations.  Its key function is to help direct these services, by providing accurate market information to link all operations into an integrated service with targeted outcomes.
Efforts to develop agricultural marketing have, particularly in developing countries, tended to concentrate on a number of areas such as; infrastructure development, information dissemination, training of farmers and traders in marketing and post-harvest issues, and support for the development of an appropriate policy environment. In the past, efforts were made to develop government-run marketing bodies but these have tended to become less important over the years.
Rapid globalization, market liberalisation and urbanisation have created new opportunities for trade in agricultural and food products; however, they have also created challenges and increased risks. Good marketing involves attention to detail and knowing as much as possible about customer demands and their business. It also includes research to ensure products have a ready market that benefits from the correct promotional activities and after sales service.
The theme of this book is to present main approaches common to the analysis of various marketing topics along with theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for adapting to the continuously changing economic environment.
Professor István Fehér