0 a company, country, etc. that produces a small amount of a product or crop with high production costs and little or no profit:
Political uncertainty in some of the world's largest energy-exporting states gives new importance to the so-called marginal producers.
In theory, prices in competitive markets will be set by the marginal costs of production of the marginal producers.
We can complete it step by step however long the road is and it can't be completed however short the road is if you don't even mark your footprint.