| dc.description.abstract | Smallholder staple cereal farmers in many developing countries are often characterized by low levels of commercialization due to various challenges limiting their ability to effectively access and participate in markets. However, most previous studies on agricultural commercialization have mainly focused on the effects of various socio-economic factors, with limited attention to gender dynamics and critical institutional impediments or enablers. Moreover, over the past decade various transitions have been noted in farming systems. These include: diversified production systems, commercialized agriculture, improved access to support services (such as financial institutions, trainings), and decreased land sizes and women participation in agriculture. However, none of the previous studies has documented the effect of the emerging transitions on commercialization. In order to address the aforementioned knowledge gaps, the present study analysed the role of gender and selected key institutional variables on choice of market channels and extent of commercialization in transitional smallholder maize farms in three contiguous counties of Western Kenya; Bungoma, Kakamega and Trans Nzoia. Primary survey data was collected from 301 randomly selected farm-households. Descriptive statistics, multinomial logit (MNL), Heckman two-step and multiple linear regression models were applied in data analysis.
Results showed that there was a considerable gender gap in access to productive resources and institutional services. Male Headed Households (MHHs) were found to have better access to markets, used relatively more inputs and support services such as extension services, and had higher levels of maize production. Female Headed Households (FHHs) on the other hand, had a higher access to development groups and credit. Results from statistical proportion tests indicate significant differences in wealth, land, amount of maize harvested,
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total inputs used (seeds, fertilizers), quantity of maize sold, education level and access to extension services; MHHs had relatively more access than the FHHs.
Transport costs, membership in development groups, access to credit, maize lost due to risk factors, wealth, trust in traders, poor prices, education level, dependence ratio, distance to the market, gender of the household head, access to extension services and number of traders known were found to have a significant effect on the household‟s choice of market channel and the household‟s decision to commercialize as well as the level of commercialization. Further analysis demonstrated that different factors affect market participation decisions among FHHs and MHHs differently. Some factors were found to either solely affect MHHs or FHHs. For instance, access to credit and extension services were found to significantly affect commercialization decisions among FHHs while they were insignificant for MHHs. On the other hand, number of traders known by MHHs was found to have a significant effect on their commercialization decision. Number of traders known was insignificant among FHHs. Farmers who experienced transitions were more commercialized as opposed to those who did not. Notably, there are differences as to how institutional support services affect commercialization in transitional and conventional systems. Wealth index, access to credit and amount of maize harvested all had a positive effect on commercialization among farmers experiencing infrastructural and devolution transition whereas, dependence number and number of traders known negatively influenced market participation among these farmers.
These findings call for targeted interventions to increase smallholder farmers‟ commercialization levels. For instance, there is need to increase the level of access and use of support services. Better access to timely extension services will help improve production methods among smallholder maize farmers. Incorporating information communication technologies such as mobile phones, radio, and television in dissemination of information
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will be important in increasing farmers‟ access to these services. This will help to increase the ratio of farmer access to extension services. Additionally, loan facilities that favour agriculture are necessary to increase smallholder farmers‟ access to credit services. For example, use of seasonal repayment schedules as well as accepting social capital as collateral for loan access are likely to spur farmers‟ use of credit facilities in various agricultural value chain activities. Implementation of these strategies will increase timely access to quality inputs to enhance productivity. Additionally, there is need to formulate gender-sensitive policies that aim to increase female farmers‟ participation in support services and agricultural markets. There is need to encourage commercial re-orientation of the objectives of collective action among FHHs to increase access to support services such as credit, inputs and markets. Lastly, results from transitions indicate it is important to increase farmers‟ access to all weather roads as well as reduce their distance to market facilities as this will positively contribute to commercialized agriculture.
Key words: Commercialization, gender, transitional systems, Institutional Support, Heckman model. | en_US |
