Developing Marketing Strategies in Organic Farming: A Lived Experience of Agri-Entrepreneurs

Farmers of organic products deliver the value proposition of eating healthy foods and delivering ethically grown products through sustainable farming. This study is the lived experiences of Agri-Entrepreneurs in Mindanao in a qualitative and phenomenological approach to describe farmers marketing strategies for organic products. There were 16 organic farmers-participants identified through purposeful sampling selected from among organic farmers operating for more than five years. IDI was conducted, triangulated through FGD, and analyzed using thematic analysis and dendrogram. The farmers grew and marketed organically grown rice, upland rice, mango, and vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and lettuce, among others. The sustainable farm practices observed include organic plant care, fruit care, organic pest, and disease controls, vermiculture, sustainable contour planting, greenhouse cut flowers, multi-layer air gardening, upland rice farming, and integrated plant-livestock farming. The marketing strategies development were categorized into structured, practiced by large farms, and unstructured by micro and small farmers. The distribution channels range from domestic retailers, supermarkets, trade fairs, and e-commerce platforms, to the internationalization of products to the USA, Japan, and Singapore. The themes that emerged included strategic marketing but went beyond to capture the support and backing of the government, provision of employment and livelihood opportunities, slow development of organic farming, modest marketability of organic produce, and barriers to organic farming success. It was found that organic farming is the primary source of income for farmers in raising their families including subsistence, children’s education, and medical expenses, among others. The expertise of farmers is based on lifelong experiences with the help of the government and NGOs providing training and other resources including financial, machines, and technical support. Best practice in organic marketing products was not yet established. The findings imply that farmers in Mindanao whose expertise in organic farming is well established need professional help in developing marketing strategies to maximize the opportunities for organic products both locally and internationally.