Research on the Problems and Countermeasures of Empowering Smallholder Farmers through Regional Public Brands of Agricultural Products—A Case Study of Wuchang Rice

Abstract

Regional public brands of agricultural products are important tools for promoting high-quality agricultural development and rural revitalization. As a nationally renowned regional public brand, Wuchang Rice serves as a typical case of “strengthening agriculture through branding.” However, in practice, the benefits of the brand are often captured by intermediaries, leaving a large number of dispersed smallholder farmers with insufficient participation and limited gains. The issue of “marginalization of smallholder farmers” persists. Taking Wuchang Rice as a case study, this paper analyzes the mechanisms and challenges of empowering smallholder farmers through regional public brands of agricultural products. It identifies structural difficulties in the current empowerment process, including high participation thresholds, imbalanced benefit distribution, and unsustainable empowerment measures. Further, the paper proposes solutions such as optimizing access mechanisms, strengthening capacity building, innovating benefit linkage models, and improving governance structures. The aim is to ensure that smallholder farmers at the production end can obtain greater brand premiums, providing theoretical reference and practical guidance for the inclusive development of regional public brands.