Browsing by Author "Esou, James Elasu"

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    Assessing market participation among groundnut producers in Oculoi sub-county, Soroti district.
    (Busitema University, 2026) Esou, James Elasu
    Market participation refers to the extent to which farming households engage in output markets through the sale of agricultural produce and is an important pathway toward agricultural commercialization and improved household incomes. This study assessed market participation among groundnut producers in Oculoi Sub-County, Soroti District. Specifically, the study examined the characteristics of farmers based on the forms of groundnuts sold, determined the level of market participation, and identified factors associated with the level of market participation. A cross-sectional study design was employed, and data were collected from 120 groundnut farmers using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations, were used to summarize farmer characteristics and market participation. The Market Participation Index (MPI) was used to determine the proportion of output sold, while binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with high and low levels of market participation. The findings showed that males constituted 53.3% of the respondents, while females accounted for 46.7%. The mean age of farmers was 39.62 years, with an average groundnut farming experience of 9.56 years and mean land owned or accessed of 3.4 acres. Groundnut income was the most reported household income source, reported by 86.7% of farmers. Shelled groundnuts were the most sold form (40.8%), followed by unshelled groundnuts (37.5%), roasted groundnuts (14.2%) and groundnut paste (7.5%). Farmers produced an average of 215.36 kg of groundnuts and sold an average of 116.60 kg. The Market Participation Index had a mean of 51.63%, ranging from 4.27% to 87.5%. Based on the mean MPI as the cut-off point, 53.3% of farmers had high market participation, while 46.7% had low market participation. Binary logistic regression results showed that total land owned/accessed, land under groundnut cultivation, on-farm storage, and estimated yield per acre were significant predictors of the likelihood of attaining a high level of market participation (p < 0.05). The study concluded that groundnut farmers in Oculoi Sub-County had a high level of market participation, influenced mainly by farm resources and production capacity. The study recommended supporting farmers to expand economically viable groundnut production, strengthening extension and market-oriented support services, and improving access to land, on-farm storage, and productivity-enhancing inputs.