Opportunities Changing consumer demand. As consumers in developing countries  become richer, food consumption patterns change noticeably. People move away from a diet based on staples to one with a greater content of animal products (meat, eggs, and dairy) and fruits and vegetables. In turn, more dynamic farmers are able to diversify to meet these needs  . Changing demographics. Rapid urbanization in developing countries affects consumption patterns. Moreover, a smaller number of farmers, in percentage terms at least, has to supply a larger number of consumers. While this may not imply diversification it does require adaptation to new farming techniques to meet higher demand. Export potential. Developing country farmers have had considerable success by diversifying into crops that can meet export market demand. While concern about food miles, as well as the cost of complying with supermarket certification requirements such as for GlobalGAP may jeopardize this success in the long run, there remains much potential to diversify to meet export markets. Adding value. The pattern witnessed in the West, and now becoming widespread in developing countries, is for consumers to devote less and less time to food preparation. They increasingly require ready-prepared meals and labour-saving packaging, such as pre-cut salads. This provides the opportunity for farmers to diversify into value addition, particularly in countries where supermarkets play a major role in retailing. Changing marketing opportunities. The changing of government policies that control the way in which farmers can link to markets can open up new diversification possibilities. For example, in India, policy changes to remove the monopoly of state “regulated markets” to handle all transactions made it possible for farmers to establish direct contracts with buyers for new products.Birthal, Pratap Singh, Joshi, P. K., Roy, Devesh, and Thorat, Amit. Diversification in Indian agriculture towards high-value crops. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C. (2007). Improving nutrition. Diversifying from the monoculture of traditional staples can have important nutritional benefits for farmers in developing countries.
Opportunities Changing consumer demand. As consumers in developing countries have become richer, food consumption patterns have changed noticeably. People have moved away from a diet based on staples to one with a greater content of animal products (meat, eggs, and dairy) and fruits and vegetables. In turn, more dynamic farmers are able to diversify to meet these needs . There is a possibility that this trend will be reversed in future given increasing consumer concern about the environmental impact of meat production . Changing demographics. Rapid urbanization in developing countries affects consumption patterns. Moreover, a smaller number of farmers, in percentage terms at least, has to supply a larger number of consumers. While this may not imply diversification it does require adaptation to new farming techniques to meet higher demand. Export potential. Developing country farmers have had considerable success by diversifying into crops that can meet export market demand. While concern about food miles, as well as the cost of complying with supermarket certification requirements such as for GlobalGAP may jeopardize this success in the long run, there remains much potential to diversify to meet export markets. Adding value. The pattern witnessed in the West, and now becoming widespread in developing countries, is for consumers to devote less and less time to food preparation. They increasingly require ready-prepared meals and labour-saving packaging, such as pre-cut salads. This provides the opportunity for farmers to diversify into value addition, particularly in countries where supermarkets play a major role in retailing. Changing marketing opportunities. The changing of government policies that control the way in which farmers can link to markets can open up new diversification possibilities. For example, in India, policy changes to remove the monopoly of state “regulated markets” to handle all transactions made it possible for farmers to establish direct contracts with buyers for new products.Birthal, Pratap Singh, Joshi, P. K., Roy, Devesh, and Thorat, Amit. Diversification in Indian agriculture towards high-value crops. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C. (2007). Improving nutrition. Diversifying from the monoculture of traditional staples can have important nutritional benefits for farmers in developing countries.
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. There is a possibility that this trend will be reversed in future given increasing consumer concern about the environmental impact of meat production