In an era of globalisation, private markets are expected to dominate the distribution of goods worldwide. Yet surprisingly little empirical work has been conducted on them. The sensitive and secret nature of trading information, the complexity of real markets and the lack of official data other than that on price are all problematic. This book seeks to overcome these by examining arguably the most difficult markets of all - agricultural markets under conditions of underdevelopment.

Case studies from several countries covering all three under-developed continents offer a comprehensive overview of the lessons to be learnt from field experience.