Economic Analysis and Policy

Abstract

Better access to domestic and international markets allows rural farmers to sell their products at higher prices, motivating them to increase the quantity, quality, and diversity of the goods they produce and sell more. Reliable market access is also beneficial to regional income growth, food security, and poverty and hunger alleviation. Despite these significant benefits, smallholder farmers’ market access has been constrained by a wide range of factors, such as remote locations, information asymmetry, high transaction costs, and the lack of business skills. These issues are more common in developing and emerging countries.With this special issue, we seek to comprehensively understand the linkages between farmers and markets in Asian countries. Contributions from other countries are also equally welcome. We aim to shed light on the barriers to farmers’ market access, devise appropriate solutions, and widely explore the impacts of market access. The findings are expected to provide significant insights for policymakers to design appropriate policy instruments that improve smallholder farmers’ market access and promote sustainable agricultural, rural, and social development.