Abstract
The revolution in the food retail chains has been marked by significant changes in the appearance, location, services rendered, and main stakeholders. The traditional players in the market such as emergent farmers who were once one of the most dominant figures in this sector have become side-lined as the more conventional stakeholders, such as supermarkets, take centre stage. As the supermarkets gain more ground in the market more attention is focused on the potential consequences for the emergent farmers. Although the benefits of such an expansion are undeniable both for emergent farmers and the final consumer, the expansion of the supermarkets has resulted in conflicting arguments as to what extent the current supermarket- emergent farmer partnerships actually empower these farmers. The majority of the respondents hinted that in as much as supermarkets are a gateway to a larger market their engagement with emergent farmers is still marred by a lot of complexities. These in turn act as hurdles for supermarket-emergent farmer partnerships. Thus, the farmers feel that there are a number of factors that both the supermarkets and the government, in particular through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, should take into consideration as a means to improve the current scenario. The need for support infrastructure came across strongly, especially with regards to transport logistics. However, the farmers are encouraged to invest more resources into upgrading and or improving their businesses as a means to ensure sustainability and chances of inclusion in the conventional retail sector, including working as a collective to access common services and objectives such as larger volumes of crops and access to credit. A clear example of conflicting views between the emergent farmers is the debate surrounding the need for a formal contract between the two stakeholders. In essence, the findings suggest that given the status quo supermarkets are not an ideal vehicle to empower and facilitate market access for emergent farmers unless certain interventions are made.
M.Com. (Development Economics)