@article{Muthini:204866,
      recid = {204866},
      author = {Muthini, Davis Nguthi},
      title = {An assessment of mango famer's choice of marketing  channels in Makueni, Kenya},
      address = {2015},
      number = {634-2016-41489},
      pages = {86},
      year = {2015},
      note = {A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the  requirements for the degree of Master of Science in  Agricultural and Applied Economics of the University of  Nairobi.  Advisors: Dr. Rose Adhiambo Nyikal and Dr. David  Jakinda Otieno},
      abstract = {Improving market access for small-holder farmers is  important in helping towards raising rural incomes and  reducing poverty. The Millennium development goal number  one is to eradicate poverty. Most of the poor are small  scale farmers in rural areas of Africa and Asia. The  Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program  (CAADP) anticipates that improving access to market for  these farmers will help towards reducing poverty. Small  scale farmers in developing countries are excluded from  markets due to long value chains, lack of transparency, and  presence of too many players. Mangoes are produced in the  Eastern and Coastal areas in Kenya. Farmers in the Makueni  have taken up mango farming quickly, making Makueni the  leading producer of mangoes in Kenya. Marketing is however  not organized. Despite the presence of several mango buyers  in the country, mango farmers are experiencing up to 30  percent post-harvest losses, and gross margins are low at  Kshs. 1.70 per piece. Profit should guide farmers’ choice  of market channel, yet this is often not the case, it is  not clear what drives farmer decision of the channel to  sell to. There is no study that has actually been carried  out to determine the factors that influence farmers’  decision to participate in the available market channels;  this is the literature gap that this study sought to fill.  The aim of this study was to assess the factors that  influence mango farmers’ choice of market channels in  Makueni County. The study used data collected in 2014 from  a sample of 227 farmers using multistage and random  sampling techniques. Analysis of Variance was used to  determine the difference in the prices offered by the  different channels, while Multinomial logit model was used  to quantify the factors affecting channel choice. Results  of the study show that farmers sold to three major  channels, which are brokers, exporters, and direct market.  Majority of the farmers (58 percent) sold to brokers, 30  percent to export, while the rest sold to direct market.  Price analysis results show that farmers selling to direct  channel earned the highest average prices, while brokers  offered the lowest prices. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)  results find sufficient evidence that prices offered by the  channels are different. The multinomial logit results show  that farmers who were members of producer marketing groups,  had attended training, and had a large number of mango  trees were more likely to sell to exporters relative to  brokers. In addition, farmers who owned a vehicle, were  closer to the tarmac road, and had access to market  information were more likely to sell to direct market  relative to brokers. Results of this study provide insights  for the ongoing efforts to transform agriculture from  subsistence to market oriented activity for farmers in  Kenya. There is need to assist farmers link with organized  and formal markets to bolster their incomes. The study  recommends that interventions aimed at providing market  information, as well as training and extension to farmers  should be reinforced. Producer marketing groups can fill  the gaps left by marketing boards through linking farmers  with buyers, and assisting farmers attain quality and  safety requirements of especially export market. These  quality and safety requirements are a major impediment to  access to niche markets. In addition, it is more effective  and cheaper to offer training and extension services to  farmers through the groups. The study recommends further  research on the marketing side, to determine the  constraints and challenges faced by marketers would also be  beneficial for policy and/or practice.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/204866},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.204866},
}