Files
Abstract
Despite the efforts made to promote dairy marketing cooperatives, smallholder dairy producers in rural Ethiopia prefer informal markets to sell their dairy products. The factors determining their preference towards formal markets, such as membership in cooperatives, are not well identified. This paper analyzes the key factors affecting smallholder dairy producers’ membership in dairy marketing cooperatives in Ethiopia using cross-sectional survey data from 73 cooperative members and 149 non-members, and probit regression models. The authors found positive effects of age, gender and education of household head and frequency of extension services; and negative effects of distance to the cooperative milk collection centers on the dairy producers’ preference for membership in dairy marketing cooperatives. These findings imply the need for awareness initiatives: strengthening extension services, trainings and demonstrations; enhancing access to technology; and infrastructure development. Particularly, affirmative action in the form of targeted intervention is needed to enhance female-headed households’ membership in dairy marketing cooperatives and to help them benefit from collective actions.