Page 250 - DMGT509_RURAL MARKETING

Unit 13: Rural and Urban Markets

The reasons for brand switch over behavior is also due to the reasons that there are certain Notes
brands of personal care products marketed only in rural area, that may be one of the reason for
the change in usage of brand after the migration. The key drivers influencing the change in the
previous brand of products are listed in the order ranked by the migrants, they are: Self image,
Outdoor display, Attractive Package, influence of sales people, Features of the product, New
habit, Awareness about the product, Brand image, perceived quality, Advertisement, Friends
influence, Availability of the product, price of the product, Health related
The physical boundaries of urban built-up areas often do not coincide with their administrative
boundaries. The areas surrounding urban centers generally have an important role in providing
food for urban consumers, with proximity lowering the costs of transport and storage. It is
difficult to make generalizations on the nature of peri-urban areas, which depends on the
combination of a number of factors including the economic and infrastructural base of the urban
center, the region and the nation; the historical, social and cultural characteristics of the area, and
its ecological and geographical features. Peri-urban areas around one center are also not
necessarily homogenous: high- and middle-income residential developments may dominate
one section, while others may host industrial estates and others provide cheap accommodation
to low-income migrants in informal settlements.

The peri-urban interface around larger or more prosperous urban centres is also the location
where processes of urbanisation are at their most intense and where some of the most obvious
environmental impacts of urbanisation are located. They are often characterised by: Variations
in the characteristics of peri-urban areas can be important. For example, in the growing number
of extended metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, agriculture, small-scale industry, industrial
estates and suburban residential developments co-exist side by side. Availability and affordability
of transport are essential for the intense movement of goods and the extreme mobility of the
population. In other contexts, and especially in less industry-based economies such as many
countries in sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture still prevails in peri-urban areas although often
with significant shifts in land ownership and use. This is especially the case where smallholder
productivity is low because of the increasing costs of inputs and limited credit availability.
Other problems include poor access to urban markets due to a lack of roads and physical
infrastructure and the tight control over access to the urban marketplaces by middlemen and
large traders. Thus, despite proximity to urban consumers, small farmers may be easily squeezed
out, especially as the value of land in peri-urban areas increases with the expansion of the built-
up center.

Task Critically evaluate the distinction between urban and rural markets.

13.4 Governing across and beyond the Rural-urban Boundary

If well managed, the interactions between towns and countryside are the basis for a balanced
regional development which is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Local
development is increasingly associated with decentralisation processes, on the assumption that
local government is ‘closer’ to citizens – meaning that it is both more accountable to them and
that it has a better understanding of local needs and priorities. With regard to rural-urban
linkages, local government can play an important role in facilitating positive interactions and
limiting negative exchanges:
1. It is best placed for decision-making on physical transport and communication
infrastructure; however, expenditure for infrastructure can be significant and well beyond

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