This is perhaps unsurprising given that, historically, market
sales of food have been heavily concentrated in the hands of a
small number of producers, even in regions and countries with
broad-based market participation. Although most of the evidence
comes from staple grain markets, a relatively small
group (i.e., less than 10%) of relatively well-capitalized farmers
located in more favorable agro-ecological zones accounts for a
significant majority of market sales throughout the world
(Barrett, 2008). This suggests that gains from agrifood value
chain transformation accruing to net sellers in the form of
higher profits will likely concentrate in the hands of a relatively
modest share of the farm population in the developing
world, although there is presently scant hard evidence on this
important point.