Field to Market: Market Orientation, Perceived Risk and Agricultural Entrepreneurship in Assam

This book draws on field research in the Hajo and Sualkuchi blocks of Kamrup district, Assam, both located near Guwahati, one of Northeast India's fastest-growing cities. Despite proximity to better markets and clear awareness of higher city prices, most farming households continue to sell raw produce immediately after harvest, to whoever arrives first, at prices set entirely by buyers. This book explains why, and what can be done about it.

The answer challenges conventional agricultural policy. The problem is not a lack of market awareness. Farmers in Hajo and Sualkuchi know what buyers want, understand Guwahati's price advantages, and have built sophisticated informal networks for sharing market information. The problem is structural: cold storage is absent, monsoon roads are unreliable, and formal credit remains out of reach. Acting on awareness becomes too risky for households who cannot afford to lose a season's income.

The argument rests on two concepts: market orientation, which captures how farmers gather and act on buyer information, and perceived risk, which explains why well-informed farmers still choose familiar, lower-return options when experimentation feels too costly.