Analysis of determinants of market participation among local rice farmers in selected Local Government Areas of Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Improving the welfare of small-scale farmers is hinged on their access to markets and active engagement in the markets. The main objectives of this research were to analyze the determinants of decision to participate and level of market participation as well as the constraints militating against market participation among rice farmers in the study area. Muti-stage sampling technique was used to sample 100 farmers for the study. Cross-sectional data were collected using semi- structured questionnaire to elicit relevant information from the farmers. The analytical techniques involved descriptive statistics and probit and truncated regression models. The findings revealed that age, education, plot devoted to rice cultivation and household size were the major determinants of decision to participate while extension services, market type, gender of the farmer, household size and transportation cost were the major determinants of level (intensity) of market participation. The main constraints to market participation among rice farmers were infrastructural deficit, high cost of transportation, unavailability of farmland and absence of government support for marketing. Based on the findings of this research, it is therefore recommended that government should address the infrastructural deficit in term of existing road rehabilitation and construction of new roads to make market accessible to the rice farmers.