need applied research to identify the most urgent marketing problems and the

actions that might be taken to improve existing conditions. But there is also

a need for a more comprehensive understanding of marketing processes and a long-

term view of the desired role of market organization and institutions in national

economic development.

 Probably the most fundamental issue that has recently captured the

attention of the international development community centers around the

observed ineffectiveness of past development programs to improve the relative, or

in some cases, the actual well being of the poor majority in the LDCs (24,25, 26).

In the poorest countries there is a high concentration of the poor in rural areas

and the rapid migration of the rural poor toward urban centers creates serious

employment and related social and political difficulties. As a result, there

has been a significant policy reorientation in international development assis-

tance agencies and in many of the less developed countries. And while there is

a continuing debate over the appropriate strategy for promoting the desired

rural development, there is general agreement that the fundamental issue is how

to promote both growth and equity.

 In this context the question arises as to how changes in marketing in-

stitutions might make greater contributions toward improvements in economic and

social conditions in rural areas while also contributing to broader goals of

holding down food prices to families in rural and urban areas. To support

such an objective, additional field research is needed to identify alternative

opportunities for improving the effectiveness of rural marketing systems within

more comprehensive rural development programs designed for particular country

situations.

 The emergence and development of an applied marketing research program will

follow different patterns depending upon the circumstances within individual

countries. The experience of the Michigan State University group in Latin

America suggests that a small task force unit created to carry out applied