Smallholder market participation and its associated factors: Evidence from Ethiopian vegetable producers

Abstract

Vegetable production is mainly practiced by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and it is their main source of income, employment opportunities and improving food security. Although farmers are producing more surplus vegetables, they are not much linked with markets and thus their opportunity to diversify their livelihoods from vegetable production is very much limited. Thus, this study was required to identify factors affecting market participation among smallholder vegetable farmers in southwest Ethiopia. To get the sample respondents two-stage sampling procedures were employed and finally, 240 vegetable producers were selected. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources. To achieve the stated objective probit model was used and its result indicates that age of household head, household family size, education level of household head, labour market, market information and distance from the market place were statistically influencing market participation among smallholder vegetable producers. To enable smallholder’s participation in vegetable marketing government interventions is needed to strengthening institutional service, communication and infrastructure facilities. This study may be valuable input for smallholder farmers, policymakers and other stakeholders in revealing the gab in the performance of the current vegetable production system to realize the national development policy.

Keywords

• farmers
• market participation
• vegetable
• probit model analysis
• ethiopia