Marketing, gender and sustainable vegetable-agroforestry (VAF) production

Summary: The author presents the De La Salle University Social Development Research Center's involvement with TMPEGS. The research had two parts: 1) market value chain research to determine marketable products, market channels, marketing practices, constraints and opportunities, and 2) research on gender, especially women's participation in vegetable agroforestry production and marketing and networking. Methods used were literature/document review, participant observation, key informant interview, focus group, discussion and survey. The author emphasizes that marketing interventions must be made integral to VAF technology development to sustain the benefits of higher productivity in the socioeconomic lives of small farmers particularly women. Women's active participation particularly in vegetable marketing (training, education & knowledge-to-action endeavors) must be continuously explored and enhanced.