Output market access interventions result in small to moderate improvements in agricultural and welfare outcomes for farmers
The effects of agricultural output market access interventions on agricultural, socio-economic, food security and nutrition outcomes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): A systematic review.
The review in brief
Output market access interventions improve the welfare of poor and remote farmers in LMICs through a small reduction in the cost of accessing markets; greater use of improved techniques, inputs and farm investment; greater agricultural production; greater sales; and higher returns from production.
What is this review about?
An estimated two billion people globally do not have sufficient access to nutritious food and nearly half are dependent on small-scale and subsistence farming. This review examines whether interventions assisting rural farmers to sell their products in agricultural markets can improve agricultural, socio-economic, food security, and nutrition outcomes.
What is the aim of this review?
This Campbell Systematic Review examines the effects of five different types of market access interventions. It appraised and synthesized evidence from 289 unique studies and 262 unique interventions. We included rigorous quantitative impact evaluations with a control group.
What are the main findings of this review?
What studies are included?
This review includes impact evaluations on the effects of output market access interventions on agricultural, socio-economic, food security and nutrition outcomes. These interventions are: (1) Farm-to-market transport infrastructure interventions; (2) Access to output market information interventions; (3) New marketplaces or alternative marketing opportunities interventions; (4) Contract farming interventions; (5) Improved storage infrastructure and technologies interventions. We searched 52,366 studies recorded and we identified a total of 439 papers representing 289 unique impact evaluation studies covering the effects of five market access intervention types in 53 LMICs. This work is the most comprehensive and up-to-date systematic review on output market access interventions.
What are the effects of output market access interventions?
All five types of output market access interventions result in small to moderate improvements in agricultural and welfare outcomes for farmers. We also found that multi-component interventions are not necessarily more effective than single component interventions. Few studies have information on the cost of these interventions, and gaps in the available evidence exist.
How has this intervention worked?
The effects on farmers’ outcomes vary across the five intervention types. The evidence shows that these interventions mostly led to a reduction in costs of accessing markets and greater market participation, thereby driving improvements in agricultural production and welfare.
What do the findings of this review mean?
Output market access interventions can be an effective way to integrate poor and remote farmers into markets and to contribute to long-term rural development and poverty reduction. The specific needs and dynamics of each context should inform the choice of intervention and approach. In order to improve decision-making and work toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is important to invest in expanding the evidence base and improving its quality. The inclusion of cost data could also provide crucial insight into the variability of expenditure needed across different contexts and enhance understanding of interventions’ economic implications.
How up to date is this review?
The review authors searched studies up to November 2023. This Campbell Systematic Review was published in March 2024.