Determinants of Rural Market Access to Farm Inputs among Small Scale Cassava Farmers in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The study analysed determinants of access to rural markets with respect to farm inputs among small-scale cassava farmers in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to select eighty (80) small scale farmers.
Data were collected with structured and validated questionnaires and described using descriptive statistics while Multiple Regression analysis and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) were used to analyse the data. Some of the results of socio-economic characteristics of respondents showed that most (62.5%) of the farmers were female, with a mean farm size of 0.4 hectares. The mean annual farm income was ₦117,418.00 and the mean extension contact of 1.4 times per month was obtained. The mean distance to the nearest markets was 3.9 km and the mean years of cooperatives membership were 7.7 years. Results further revealed that 5 market days were prevalent in the area as farm inputs like cassava cuttings, fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, soil conditioners and farm implements were highly available and accessed. It was reported that farm size, farm income, extension contact, and years of membership of cooperative determined cassava farmers’ access to farm inputs at different levels of probability. Positive and significant correlation existed between frequency of market days (r = 0.389) and access to farm inputs at 5.0% level of probability. The study, therefore, recommends that government and other stakeholders should assist farmers to access improved farm inputs and intensify extension agents’ efforts in disseminating and exchanging market information on cassava production.