Development of a Scale to Measure the Marketing Behaviour of Vegetable Farmers

Abstract

Marke�ng behaviour is the a�tude and/or conduct of a person towards marke�ng ac�vi�es. Marke�ng decisions made by the farmer are based on factors such as commodity, quan�ty and quality of produce, distance from market, transporta�on facili�es, risk bearing ability, innova�veness, etc. The study of marke�ng behaviour of the farmer could help in promo�ng inclusive markets with the direct par�cipa�on of farmers leading to be�er profit margins. In the present study a scale was developed to measure the marke�ng behaviour of vegetable farmers. The items generated rated for relevance by expert judges and a�er item selec�on; it was administered to respondents for scoring. This was followed by factor analysis using principal component analysis. The scale was standardized a�er reliability tes�ng using Cronbach's alpha and scale valida�on using content analysis. The final scale covered seven dimensions, viz., produc�on oriented decisions, planning orienta�on, farm enterprise management, enterprise planning, technology oriented marke�ng, market based produc�on preferences and quality oriented produc�on with 27 statements.