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Smallholder farmers' participation in collective marketing is essential for the growth of smallholder farming businesses and the sustainability of their livelihoods. Collective marketing provides smallholder farmers with increased opportunities to scale up market access and participation. Given the challenges that the majority of smallholder farmers still face regarding market access and participation, this review was conducted to explore the trends and effects of collective marketing participation, as well as the barriers to participation among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The results show that collective marketing has a high potential to give smallholder farmers access to both formal and informal market participation, as well as recognition by public and private support structures. To improve collective marketing participation among SSA countries, more focused and content-specific strategies and interventions are needed to address the complex socio-economic and structural barriers that limit smallholder farmers' ability to fully benefit from collective marketing initiatives across the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the determinants of onion commercialization of smallholder farmers in the Wolayita and Gomo zones of southern Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data were used in this study. Primary data were collected from randomly selected 160 onion producers by using a structured questionnaire. Both descriptive statistics and the double-hurdle econometric model were employed in the analysis. The descriptive statistics indicated that the mean commercialization level of smallholder farmers in the study area was 79.51%, highlighting that onion producers in this region primarily focus on marketing their produce. Using the econometric model the first-stage double hurdle results revealed that family size, farming experience, frequency of extension contacts, and distance to the nearest market were factors significantly affecting the market participation decision of onion producers. The second stage of the double hurdle results indicates that education level, family size, frequency of extension contacts, land size allotted for onion production, and distance to the nearest market were factors that significantly affected the level of onion commercialization. Therefore, policies aimed at increasing farmers' access to better road networks and transportation facilities, improving access to education, promoting agricultural training programs, and improving extension services are recommended to improve the commercialization of onion production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the extent of market participation among Chăm pottery producers in Vietnam and the factors that influence this extent. The research utilized the total market participation index to assess the level of market participation and Tobit regression to examine the factors influencing market participation. Primary data were collected from a sample of 150 pottery households. The study demonstrates that pottery households are involved in the market to varying degrees. Factors such as family size, hired labourers, production space, self-owned transportation, average distance to customers, amount of advertising, and credit accessibility positively affect their participation in the market. Shipping damage, government assistance, non-pottery income, and education level of household head have a negative effect. The findings indicate that government assistance should consider the requirements of pottery households to develop efficient support measures. The research serves as a useful reference for policymakers and managers in devising strategies to promote both the growth of traditional craft production and the sustained well-being of ethnic groups. This, in turn, would contribute to the overall economic advancement of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imperfect information is a major obstacle for agricultural businesses in developing countries. The resulting information asymmetry increases transaction costs and affects the behavior of market stakeholders. In Benin, market gardeners' participation is limited by geographical isolation and poor communication and transport infrastructures. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) now offer a fast and less costly means of accessing and disseminating information for more active market participation. The aim of this article is to measure the contribution of ICTs to market participation by testing whether they improve participation. Using a recursive bivariate probit model, our results indicate that market gardeners who use ICT to access information have a higher frequency of market participation than those who do not. Cell phones, radios, and televisions lead to a 35.3%, 25.6% and 8% higher probability of market participation respectively than those who don't use them. These results suggest that a platform for disseminating knowledge via ICT could be set up to increase market participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology holds significant potential for enhancing business efficiency in agricultural marketing. However, empirical research on the use of digital technology among smallholder farmers engaged in staple crop marketing in Sub-Saharan Africa remains limited. Recognizing the pivotal role of digital technology in agriculture, this study aims to analyse and synthesize existing knowledge regarding the impact of mobile phones on market participation among smallholder farmers. Through a comprehensive analysis, we seek to provide a robust understanding that can inform policies and programs aimed at enhancing smallholder market integration. To achieve this objective, we collected cross-sectional data from 360 farmers in southeast Nigeria and implemented a double hurdle model to analyse market participation decisions and the extent of farmers' involvement in staple crop markets. In addition to traditional econometric methods, we employed propensity score matching to further investigate the impact of mobile phone ownership on market participation. Our analysis revealed that ICT tools, particularly mobile phones and radios, significantly influence both the decision and intensity of market participation among smallholder farmers. Specifically, mobile phones were found to play a crucial role in facilitating access to market pricing information and disseminating knowledge on improved production methods. Given the volatility of farm prices, the timely dissemination of market information through mobile phones is essential for farmers to make informed decisions. With a high percentage of mobile phone ownership and substantial investments in mobile networks in Nigeria, the digitalization of extension services and marketing information delivery systems could catalyse rapid improvements in agribusiness and marketing. This shift towards digital platforms has the potential to address information asymmetry, particularly among smallholder farmers, thereby fostering greater market integration and economic empowerment within rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanism of impact of Internet use on agricultural carbon emission efficiency in the context of rapid development of information technology, which is of great significance for promoting sustainable agricultural development. [Methods] Based on field survey data from 1192 farming households in Henan, Hunan, and Heilongjiang Provinces in 2021, this study used the super slacks-based measure (SBM) model to measure agricultural carbon emission efficiency and the treatment effect model to analyze the impact of Internet use on agricultural carbon emission efficiency. [Results] (1) Internet use significantly promoted agricultural carbon emission efficiency. The more types of agricultural information obtained by using the Internet, the more conducive it was to improving agricultural carbon emission efficiency; (2) Internet use affected agricultural carbon emission efficiency through green production technology adoption and market participation, respectively; (3) Heterogeneity analyses found that focusing on green production technology information significantly increased agricultural carbon emission efficiency compared to using the Internet to focus on weather information and information on government regulations; (4) Sub-sample studies found that Internet use had a significant positive effect on the increase in agricultural carbon emission efficiency of the farmers in the relatively high education group, the risk adverse group, and the high social relationship group. [Conclusion] In conclusion, measures should be taken to improve agricultural carbon emission efficiency and accelerate the transformation of green agricultural development, such as by increasing investment in rural Internet infrastructure construction, building agricultural science and technology service platforms and agricultural product information platforms, expanding farmers’ market participation channels, and improving farmers’ Internet technology application skills.

Agricultural transformation involves the transition from subsistence agriculture marked by cultivating crops for auto‐consumption to cultivating crops for output markets. This transition from subsistence agriculture to market‐oriented agriculture can be a key policy boost to economic development, but evidence on the key entry points to increasing smallholder commercialization remains scarce. We examine the relationship between the adoption of improved maize varieties (IMVs), inorganic fertilizers, and smallholder commercialization. We model commercialization as a two‐step decision process involving market participation and the extent of participation (sales quantity) conditional on participation. Given these two related steps, we estimate a double‐hurdle model in both linear and non‐linear forms. Employing a three‐wave panel dataset from Ethiopia, we use the household fixed effects and correlated random effects model with the control function approach. We find the adoption of IMVs to be significantly associated with both market participation and the extent of participation. This relationship is also true for fertilizers, where we show a positive association between fertilizer use and commercialization. Given the seeming complementarity in the use of both IMVs and fertilizers, we further estimate their joint adoption. We use the multinomial endogenous switching regression model where we show greater commercialization gains under joint adoption. These findings are in line with a growing literature supporting the bundling of agricultural technologies. Given these insights, we provide empirical and policy support to the scaling of agricultural technologies as they have the potential to induce agricultural transformation by unlocking market opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the impact of monetary policy changes on portfolio decisions of U.S. households. Contrary to the predictions of canonical portfolio choice models, interest rate increases are related to increased equity ownership and larger wealth allocations to risky assets. Inflation hedging is a likely explanation for these findings. Interest rates have a stronger impact on the equity exposure of households that experience higher inflation, especially those with greater inflation awareness and potentially stronger hedging motives. Using household portfolios at a large discount brokerage house, we provide direct evidence that investors with greater inflation sensitivity overweight stocks with high hedging potential. This paper was accepted by Camelia Kuhnen, finance. Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.02197. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a standard clean production technology, the wide use of green control techniques (GCT) helps improve the quality of agricultural products and protect the environment. However, the level of application of GCT by Chinese farmers is not high. The market, as the ultimate place to realize the value of grain and the returns of grain farmers, plays an essential part in promoting GCT. Based on survey data from grain farmers in Sichuan Province, China, this study used a conditional mixed process (CMP) model to examine the effect of farmers' market participation on their GCT adoption behavior and a mediated effects model to test the impact mechanism. The study further explored the effect of farmers' market participation capability on their GCT adoption behavior. The results showed that (1) farmers' market participation could significantly increase the likelihood of adopting GCT. (2) Market participation could influence farmers' adoption behavior through agricultural income, market information, and green cognition. (3) Further research found that farmers were more likely to adopt GCT if their market participation capability was strong. These findings highlight the fact that developing countries have increased their efforts to encourage farmers to participate in markets and to enhance their market participation capability, thereby facilitating the adoption of GCT by farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban farming has gained significant recognition and interest in less developed countries as it has the potential to address challenges linked to rapid urbanization, unemployment, and food insecurity. This study aimed to determine the drivers of market participation and the level of market participation among smallholder urban vegetable farmers in the Sobantu and Mphophomeni township areas. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to sample 156 smallholder urban vegetable farmers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and a double-hurdle model. The results 18 indicated that out of a total of 156 smallholder farmers, 127 farmers were market participants and 29 were non-participants. The logistic model result indicated that market participation decision among smallholder urban farmers was significantly influenced by credit use (p = 0.004), free inputs (p = 0.096), access to market information (p = 0.001), access to labour (p = 0.014), and owning a smartphone (p = 0.083). Fractional response model results indicated that the level of market participation among smallholder urban vegetable farmers were significantly influenced by age (p = 0.093), cooperative membership (0.002), road condition (p = 0.001), storage (p = 0.016), and distance to input markets (0.069). The study concludes that market participation can be enhanced by increasing the market. information sources through market-empowered extension services and improved access to market information including through targeted radio, television, and the Facebook application. The study recommends urban agriculture policies and programs by various stakeholders that Strengthen market training activities and form farmer co-operatives to meet market requirements and improve market participation among smallholder urban farmers.

Commercializing smallholder agriculture is a critical factor in the role played by agriculture in poverty reduction and food security in developing countries. While participation in markets offers opportunities for smallholder farmers to profit from agriculture and access essential resources, many still face limited market access and struggle to integrate into modern supply chains. At the same time, the same interventions that enhance commercialization could also negatively impact social cohesion in farming and result in deagrarianization which could indirectly explain the reported low market participation. A sociological perspective is needed to explore other possible determinations of market participation with special reference to vegetable growers using irrigation technology. This study, conducted in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, examines the factors that influence irrigated smallholder vegetable farmers’ market participation Data from 234 smallholder vegetable growers were collected using a multi-stratified sampling technique and analyzed using the double hurdle model. The results reveal that while some smallholder vegetable farmers engage in the market, overall participation rate stands at just 38%. The study revealed that market participation was influenced by a number of economic, technical, institutional, social and cultural factors. The study recommends that government and non-government organizations provide support, enhance input availability, improve rural education, and implement proactive extension services to bolster vegetable marketing among smallholders.

AbstractThis paper investigates the impact of dairy product marketing on household food security in Jimma Zone Ethiopia. A quasi-experimental research design was applied through the use of a cross-sectional data type. In order to identify the study kebeles and 266 respondents, a multi-stage sampling procedure was conducted, and the data was gathered through interview schedules. Descriptive statistics, Binary logit, and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) models were used to analyze the data. From the randomly selected households about 54.9% were participated in milk marketing. The study discovered that family size, livestock size, off-farm engagement, access to dairy input, ownership of crossbreed cows, and cooperative membership significantly and positively influenced dairy product market participation. Conversely, age, education level, and market distance had a negative effect. The results of PSM indicated that dairy product market participation had a positive impact on the household food consumption score and dietary diversity, increasing them by 16.38% and 15.42%, respectively. All in all, the research found that milk market participation has a meaningful effect on household food security, and so measures like Innovations to increase dairy production and productivity, and cooperative membership should be promoted to strengthen the participation of smallholder dairy farmers in the area. The study can offer empirical evidence on the contribution of dairy product market participation to household food security.

This study examined the determinants of onion commercialization of smallholder farmers in the Wolayita and Gomo zones of southern Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data were used in this study. Primary data were collected from randomly selected 160 onion producers by using a structured questionnaire. Both descriptive statistics and the double-hurdle econometric model were employed in the analysis. The descriptive statistics indicated that the mean commercialization level of smallholder farmers in the study area was 79.51%, highlighting that onion producers in this region primarily focus on marketing their produce. Using the econometric model the first-stage double hurdle results revealed that family size, farming experience, frequency of extension contacts, and distance to the nearest market were factors significantly affecting the market participation decision of onion producers. The second stage of the double hurdle results indicates that education level, family size, frequency of extension contacts, land size allotted for onion production, and distance to the nearest market were factors that significantly affected the level of onion commercialization. Therefore, policies aimed at increasing farmers' access to better road networks and transportation facilities, improving access to education, promoting agricultural training programs, and improving extension services are recommended to improve the commercialization of onion production.

Abstract Small-scale urban farmers' active involvement in the urban agriculture (UA) output market is one strategy to ease an urban food shortage while sustaining their livelihoods and income. Enhancing market participation and intensity requires identifying the factors that affect UA market participation. Thus, the study aimed to determine the factors influencing UA market participation decisions and intensity in Eastern Ethiopia. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, the study utilized primary data collected from 270 randomly selected urban farmers. The Double Hurdle (DH) Model was used to determine the factors influencing urban farmers' participation and intensity in the UA output market. According to the first stage DH Model results, age, education, occupation, family size, farming experience, UA-related training, dependency ratio, and market information, all had a significant impact on the decision to participate in the UA output market. The second stage DH Model of Truncated regression indicated that the intensity of UA output market participation decision was significantly affected by the education, land size, UA-related training, and market information are all important factors determine the intensity of UA output market participation. Improving the ability to use the land for UA purposes, awareness creation through short-term training, and improving information access are important recommendations to enhance UA output market participation and intensity of participation.

The poultry industry is the fasted growing sub-sector of agriculture in the developing world and this is attributed to several pull and push factors. On the demand side, the issue of urbanisation, increase in incomes and animal protein requirements particularly for chicken have a positive influence on the growth of poultry production. Poultry farming is mostly practiced in rural households of Lesotho, and it is an important contributor to the development of the rural economy in most developing countries. The poultry industry remains an important sub-sector of agriculture in Lesotho like in many other developing countries and it remains the main source of livelihood for the village people and other small-scale farmers in the economy. Many rural communities keep poultry as a source of meat and eggs to feed their families, raise income from the surplus and create employment opportunities. However, access to formals markets remains a critical challenge for the farmers. This study examined the socio-economic, market and institutional factors that influenced broiler farmers' market participation and intensity of participation in the Leribe district of Lesotho. A two-stage sampling technique was employed to select 114 respondents from five villages and the survey data was collected through a structured questionnaire. Heckman's two-stage model was used to analyse factors influencing farmers' market participation and the intensity of market participation. The study results show that gender, farmer income, access to storage facilities, production experience, extension service, access to credit and access to information influence farmers' market participation decision in the study area. The study recommends interventions that will increase access and formal market participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of commercialization of agricultural products the household farming system and the factors affecting it in Khalkhal county. This study was performed from the preliminary data collected using a questionnaire from a stratified random sample of 368 smallholder farmers. The Household Commercialization Index was used to assess the level of commercialization. A multiple regression model was used to estimate the factors associated with small-scale agricultural commercialization. The average household commercialization index is 39.94%. The results of multiple regression showed that the variables that significantly and positively affect commercialization are the number of available markets, membership in cooperatives, non-agricultural income, and amount of livestock production, crop production, and horticultural production. On the other hand, the variables that significantly and negatively affect commercialization are the age of the head of the household, production costs and distance from the market. This study showed that the farmers of this region are mostly subsistence. In order to increase the commercialization of smallholder farmers, special attention is recommended to educate farmers to look at agriculture as a business and equip farmers with marketing and negotiation skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market participation promotion is vital to ensure the efficacy of smart community construction and sustainable advancement. Previous studies focused on smart community construction but ignored analyzing market participation affecting factors in smart community construction and their inner mechanism, rendering the promotion of market participation challenging. This study aimed to get a clear structure of the influencing factors of smart community construction by developing a comprehensive analytical framework. Initially, systematic literature review (SLR) and grounded theory (GT) were employed to identify a comprehensive list of nine crucial influencing factors. Subsequently, the expert interview (EI) and interpretive structural modeling (ISM) were utilized to establish a four-level model for factors influencing market participation. Finally, a strategic framework comprising 17 specific strategies, aimed at addressing key influencing factors, was proposed from the stakeholders' perspective. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors that influence market participation and shed light on the inner relationships among these factors, thereby enriching the knowledge system of smart community construction. Furthermore, this study provides practical insights for stakeholders to effectively foster market engagement in smart community development.

This paper uses panel data and qualitative interviews from southwestern Ghana to analyse farmers' heterogeneous oil palm marketing decisions and the effect on household welfare. We show that despite the supposed benefits that smallholders could derive from participation in global agribusiness value chains via formal contracts, such arrangements are rare although two of Ghana's 'big four' industrial oil palm companies are located in the study area. In the absence of formal contracts, farmers self-select into four main oil palm marketing channels (OPMCs). These OPMCs are associated with varying levels of welfare, with processing households and those connected to industrial companies by verbal contracts being better off. Furthermore, own-processing of palm fruits is shown to reduce gender gaps in household welfare. We also unearth community and household level factors that hamper or facilitate participation in remunerative OPMCs. These results have implications for development policy and practice related to inclusive agricultural commercialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether the Tanzanian subsidy for inorganic fertilizers and improved seeds encourages farmers to participate in the input and grain markets. Using six waves from 2008–2009 to 2020–2021 of the National Panel Survey, we investigated whether the subsidy affected farmers' purchases and expenditures for all conceivable inputs, including nonsubsidized inputs (organic fertilizers, traditional seeds, pesticides/herbicides, labor, and capital). Subsequently, we estimated the subsidy's impact on the probability of farmers selling crops and their sales revenue. In the input markets, we found that improved seeds, rather than inorganic fertilizers, played a major role in farmers' market activities. Beneficiaries who received subsidized seeds were more likely to purchase pesticides/herbicides, hire more labor, and borrow oxen and tractors to make their farmland suitable for the growth of improved seeds. In crop markets, we found that receiving both subsidized fertilizers and seeds increased the probability of farmers selling maize or paddy nearly threefold relative to the receipt of only subsidized fertilizer. Moreover, legume sales revenue also increased among seed beneficiaries through intercropping with maize and paddy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farm credit plays an essential role in fostering agricultural productivity. In smallholder agriculture, it aims to provide financial cushion and improve market outcomes leading to improved resource distribution, thus maximizing social and economic returns. In Pakistan, about 90% of farmers are smallholders with the least access to formal financial services. This study explores the impact of sustainable finance—interest‐free credit (IFC)—on smallholders' marketing decisions, producer prices, and technological progress. It explains how liquidity constraints affect itinerant market (primary and secondary) participation and how smallholders get trapped in classical credit bondage with village‐level moneylender‐cum‐traders and do not take advantage of temporal and spatial arbitrage. We use cross‐sectional data from 637 farm households in Punjab‐Pakistan. The results show that interest‐free credit provision and village‐level credit density improve smallholders' level of current and future market participation and increase the producer prices for rice and wheat. The results indicate that sustainable finance improves the vertical linkages between smallholder producers and markets, increasing sustainable supply response and farmers' income. Further, the results show that IFC provision improves technological progress by enhancing the uptake of modern crop varieties, improving cultural operations, and promoting sustainable crop residue management. The findings advocate the interplay between sustainable finance, smallholders' market integration and income earning and provide coherent insights for policymaking. The study suggests mechanisms to improve broader coverage of sustainable finance for breaking the semi‐subsistence‐oriented farming systems, improving technological progress and realizing sustainable development goals, like rural poverty reduction and improved food production and distribution in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent engagement of dairy farmers in informal milk markets poses economic and health challenges while limiting the supply of raw milk to processing plants that heavily rely on smallholder dairy farmers. Consequently, this results in a decline of domestically processed milk products, job losses throughout the dairy value chain, and a transition to becoming net importers of milk and milk products. Based on these challenges, a systematic review of scholarly articles was conducted to find out factors influencing dairy farmers' engagement in informal milk markets. PRISMA approach was employed, where fifteen articles that met the inclusion criteria were analysed after a thorough screening process. The findings show informalities in milk markets is more prevalent in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. The study revealed four major categories of drivers that influence dairy farmers' engagement in informal milk markets, namely market factors, production factors, farmers-related factors and support service-related factors. In addition, the study employed Pareto analysis, where market and production related factors were prioritized for interventions to enhance reduction of 80% of the challenges limiting dairy farmers' engagement in formal markets. The study contributes towards understanding the factors influencing smallholder dairy farmers' decisions to engage in informal milk markets, which is instrumental in designing policy actions and transition programs for farmers’ engagement in high-value markets. Unlike the previous studies, this paper extends the literature beyond country-specific factors focusing on the extent of the challenge in developing countries.

Abstract More than 95% of crop production in Ethiopia comes from smallholder farmers operating on a farm size of less than 2 hectares. This implies that agriculture is dominantly operated by smallholders nationally. Agricultural commercialization is believed to improve farmers’ livelihoods; hence, commercializing agriculture in Ethiopia means contributing to the smallholder farmer’s welfare. To do so, a study of participation and level of commercialization and their determinant factors is vital. Hence, this study was initiated to evaluate crop output commercialization status and its determinants in rural Ethiopia. Heckman’s two-step model was employed for the analysis. The mean commercialization index (CI) for the sample was 43.40% while 26% and 35% of households were commercially oriented and subsistent farmers respectively. The decision to participate in crop output marketing was affected by age, market distance, and instrument for the level of farm mechanization negatively. In contrast, it was affected positively by livestock size (TLU), being in mid-highland agroecology, ownership of equines, amount of annual income, and access to market information. The intensity of commercialization was positively affected by annual income, access to market information, and number of oxen; while it was negatively affected by operational land, level of crop diversification, and market distance significantly. Improving the resource endowment, and minimizing transaction costs by improving access to market centers, market information, and means of transportation can further enhance commercialization. Improving access to farm mechanization and enhancing productivity in highland areas are also issues that shall get policy and development practitioners’ focus.

As a standard clean production technology, the wide use of green control techniques (GCT) helps improve the quality of agricultural products and protect the environment. However, the level of application of GCT by Chinese farmers is not high. The market, as the ultimate place to realize the value of grain and the returns of grain farmers, plays an essential part in promoting GCT. Based on survey data from grain farmers in Sichuan Province, China, this study used a conditional mixed process (CMP) model to examine the effect of farmers’ market participation on their GCT adoption behavior and a mediated effects model to test the impact mechanism. The study further explored the effect of farmers’ market participation capability on their GCT adoption behavior. The results showed that (1) farmers’ market participation could significantly increase the likelihood of adopting GCT. (2) Market participation could influence farmers’ adoption behavior through agricultural income, market information, and green cognition. (3) Further research found that farmers were more likely to adopt GCT if their market participation capability was strong. These findings highlight the fact that developing countries have increased their efforts to encourage farmers to participate in markets and to enhance their market participation capability, thereby facilitating the adoption of GCT by farmers.

This study uses the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey to investigate the associations between cooperative membership, E-commerce adoption, and household income. Using the conditional mixed process framework, we find that cooperative membership promotes rural households' e-commerce adoption, and cooperative membership and e-commerce adoption significantly increase rural household income. The two-stage predictor substitution approach confirms this result. Further, participating in different types of cooperatives has heterogeneous effects on the e-commerce adoption decision and household income growth. However, regardless of whether or which cooperative households participate in, e-commerce adoption significantly increases household income. Policymakers can work with e-commerce enterprises, leverage the current cooperatives, especially the village stock economic and market cooperative, and set up e-commerce cooperatives to popularize e-commerce-related knowledge to encourage e-commerce adoption among rural households. Further, considering the regional disparities in e-commerce adoption, it is essential to strengthen the policy support for the rural households residing in Central and Western China to narrow the "digital divide." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how maize farmers' market participation influences their subjective well-being, utilizing the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey data collected by the Chinese Academy of Social Science. Three variables, including market participation (a binary variable), sales ratio (a continuous variable), and sales frequency (a categorical variable), are utilized to measure maize farmers' market participation patterns comprehensively By estimating a conditional mixed process model, this study finds that maize farmers' market participation significantly improves their subjective well-being captured by happiness, life satisfaction, and confidence about the future by 0.672, 0.925, and 1.125 points, respectively. Maize income mediates the positive association between farmers' market participation and their subjective well-being. The disaggregated analyses reveal that farmers at the household income tertiles 2 and 3 obtain a higher level of happiness, life satisfaction, and confidence about the future. Meanwhile, market participation significantly improves life satisfaction and confidence about the future of farmers experiencing natural disasters, while it increases the happiness of farmers who do not have such experiences. Farmers' market participation significantly improves their objective well-being regarding pork consumption and milk consumption by 68 g/capita/day and 56 g/capita/day, respectively. Further analysis confirms that market participation intensity, reflected by sales ratio and frequency, significantly increases farmers' subjective well-being. These findings highlight that the government should devote more efforts to inciting maize farmers to participate in market transactions to increase farmers' incomes and subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study identifies determinants of vegetable farmers' market participation and evaluates their impact on households' welfare. In this study, we collected 175 cross‐sectional household data and employed a probit regression model to identify the determinants of vegetable farmers' market participation. The study estimates the impact of market participation on households' income and per capita consumption using the propensity score matching approach (PSM). Subsequently, the study used the endogenous switch regression (ESR) model to control sample selection bias and unobserved heterogeneity. ESR also evaluates the robustness of PSM outcomes. Results from PSM and ESR approaches suggest that vegetable market participation positively and significantly impacts smallholders' income and consumption expenditure. The study rejects the null hypothesis that vegetable market participation does not significantly impact farmers' welfare. Results show that vegetable market participation increases the farmers' monthly income and annual per capita consumption expenditure on average by Indian rupee (INR) 8360 and INR 26,410, respectively. Findings also indicate that household size, distance to market, off‐farm income, access to training, price information, vehicle ownership, and storage systems are critical determinants of vegetable farmers' market participation. Identified determinants may support policymakers in designing suitable agricultural marketing policies to reduce market entry barriers and motivate farmers for market participation. [EconLit Citations: Q13, D60]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMany sub-Saharan farmers rely on agricultural production for home consumption and sell crops to meet their other needs. Farmers’ market intervention enhances economic expansion and helps to improve household food security. In our current study, we strive to explore the determinants of farmers’ decisions and the intensity of market participation in the Sahelian region of Niger, where little has been published, thereby filling the gap in the literature. A double hurdle approach was employed to achieve this objective using a sample collected from 1784 farm households in Niger.Our findings reveal that the total quantity of crops produced, gender, credit access, farming experience, training, drought, and assets positively impact household market participation significantly. Based on these results, as the quantity of crop sales is driven positively and significantly by the amount of crop produced, finding ways to increase crop production will increase household market participation. This can only be achieved by encouraging farmers to adopt high-yield crop varieties, such as climate-resilient ones, to boost productivity. Furthermore, considering the positive association between credit availability and smallholder market participation, any initiative in the agricultural sector that will bring efforts to supply credit and farm inputs to farmers will surely help to improve agricultural production and household market participation.

AbstractMarket participation is both a cause and a consequence of economic development. Markets offer households the opportunity to specialize according to comparative advantage and thereby enjoy welfare gains from trade. The current literature on product marketing in Ghana is inadequate for designing and implementing effective policies to overcome problems in the marketing system, especially leguminous crops. Based on this, the study analyses the determinants of groundnut farmers’ decision to participate and the level of market participation in Northern Ghana using cross-sectional data from 250 smallholder farmers. We employed the generalized double hurdle model to analyse the objectives of this study. On average, the study found that 62% of groundnut output harvested by farm households in Northern Ghana was sold on the market. The most significant determinants of market participation decision and intensity of participation in the groundnut market include extension service, distance to output market, farmer-based organization, off-farm income, output price, use of improved groundnut variety, and access to transport. We recommend that strategies and policies aiming at promoting smallholder commercialization should focus on providing rural infrastructure, market-oriented extension services, and forming farmer groups for collective marketing.

AbstractMaize is the main cereal crop that supports the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers in Africa. However, one of the main bottlenecks for maize production is low market penetration. This study examined the factors influencing the likelihood of smallholder farmers taking part in maize trading in southern Ethiopia using cross-sectional data collected from 360 smallholder maize growers. The data were examined with inferential statistics and the Heckman two-stage sample selection econometric model. Household head age and sex, maize price, household size, farm experience, market distance, access to transportation, frequency of extension contact, land size, amount of credit received, market information, and off-farm income were all found to be significant factors that determine maize farmers’ market participation. Investment in road infrastructure in maize production potential areas and access to market information is mainly needed to increase maize trading.

AbstractThis study examines the effect of marketing channel choice on the extent of market participation, with the goal of helping farm managers and policymakers to identify ways of enhancing market participation outcomes. The study uses data from 383 smallholder maize farmers who were part of the respondents to the Agriculture Production Survey conducted in 2014 and the Population-Based Survey conducted in 2012 in Northern Ghana. Econometric analysis was performed using the double hurdle model to account for data censoring in a more flexible way. Findings indicate that smallholder farmers in Ghana sell larger maize quantities when they sell to aggregators than when they sell directly to consumers. By changing from selling to consumers to selling to aggregators, farmers can increase the amount of maize sold by 128.46 kg conditional on participation and by 43.41 kg unconditional on participation. This is potentially due to the scale advantages and non-pecuniary cost savings that aggregators present. The results imply that facilitating access to aggregator-type middlemen may improve market participation in markets where market infrastructure and institutions are not developed enough to substantially lower pecuniary and non-pecuniary marketing costs of selling directly to consumers.

AbstractSmallholder farmers have for a long time preferred to sell at the farm gate, where the prices have been very low compared to market places. This has been fueled by several challenges related to market participation. The purpose of this study is therefore aiming at developing an empirical understanding that uncovers whether digital technology can mediate the relationship between entrepreneurial networks and market participation. Entrepreneurship and digital technology are novel concepts in agriculture, especially for smallholder farmers. Therefore, this study presents new insights on how the challenges of market participation can be solved through entrepreneurial networks and digital technology. The study used validated items adopted from previous studies, from which the structured questionnaires were distributed to 298 smallholder farmers. In addition, structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse relationships in which digital technology was found to be a mediator of the relationship between entrepreneurial networks and market participation among smallholder farmers. Further, the study suggests that smallholder farmers can overcome challenges and increase market participation if they change their attitudes through training conducted by rural extension officers and embrace digital technologies by designing new or joining existing entrepreneurial networks.

IntroductionHunger and malnutrition remain serious issues in developing countries, particularly in rural regions. Increased market participation of smallholder farmers can result in improved livelihood and nutrition outcomes. However, smallholder farmers encounter several obstacles that hinder their ability to participate in the market. As a result, the objective of this study is to investigate the factors that influence market participation and its impact on household nutrition security.MethodsThe study relied on secondary data gathered from a sample size of 1,520 people. About 389 of smallholder farmers participated in the market.Results and DiscussionThe results from Food Consumption Score (FSC) cut-off points showed that in the overall sample households, 54% were within the acceptable food consumption diets (>35), while 30 and 16% were in the borderline (21.5–35) and poor diets (0–21), respectively. According to the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) findings, 57% of smallholder farmers in the total population sample consumed highly diverse diets (consisting of at least six food groups), while 25 and 18% of smallholder farmers consumed diets with medium dietary diversity (consisting of 4–5 food groups) and low dietary diversity (consisting of at most three food groups), respectively. The results from marginal analysis showed that gender of household head, receiving social grants and higher wealth index had a positive impact on market participation. The results from Poisson endogenous treatment effect model showed that household size, ownership of livestock, social grant, wealth index, access to market information, and involvement in crop production had a positive and statistically significant impact on household nutrition security. On the other hand, agricultural assistance showed a negative and significant impact on household nutrition security.Conclusion and RecommendationsIt can be concluded that an improvement in agricultural assistance can improve the household nutrition security status. The improvement of agricultural assistance is more associated with improvement of extension services, which can lead to more production of diverse crops and more market participation. Health extension workers need to do more nutrition programs and workshops in rural areas. These programs and workshops will be intended on providing nutrition education, which will create awareness to smallholder farmers on diverse and balanced food items they should produce, sell, and consume.

AbstractLivestock market participation is an important way to improve the livelihoods and income of the smallholder farmers in Southwest Ethiopia. Although it plays an important role, livestock producers do not fully participate in the livestock market. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the intensity of livestock market participation in Southwest Ethiopia. To analyze the result, descriptive statistics and Poisson regression analysis were used. The results showed that 65.4% of the respondents have participated in livestock markets whereas 34.6% were not market participants. The Poisson regression result showed that experience in livestock production, education status, market access, access to grazing land, livestock owned and extension contact frequency affect positively while distance to a nearby market affects negatively and significantly on the intensity of livestock market participation. Based on the result of the study; lack of market access, long market distance, and lack of updated market information are the factors influencing livestock producers to engage in livestock market participation. Finally, this study suggests boosting farmer education through adult education and developing rural infrastructure (updated market information, road, and market and transport access), increase in farmers’ training centers, improves consultation and training service could enhance the intensity of livestock market participation.

Livestock farming, particularly indigenous goat farming, is essential for rural economies, providing food and income. The demand for goat products is growing, encompassing meat, milk, fibers, and skins. Nevertheless, there's limited participation by farmers in formal markets, with most transactions happening privately. The study examined 45 smallholder indigenous goat farmers in Makuya Village, located in the Mutale Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and a multivariate logistic model to explore factors influencing market participation. The findings highlighted the diverse community, with a notable presence of male smallholder goat farmers. Several factors affecting market participation were identified, including the age of the farmer, the number of goats owned, distance to the market, and the source of agricultural information. This research offers valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, supporting sustainable goat farming and enhanced market engagement in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-value market chains are regarded as one of the country's lucrative market segments. However, various constraints hinder the effective involvement of smallholder farmers in these market chain, thus limiting their ability to generate income for their households and livelihood. The objective of this paper was to examine the influence of socio-economic factors on the participation of smallholder vegetable farmers in high-value markets (HVM). The study used a cross-sectional research design, involving a sample of 384 respondents. Data collection involved the use of structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The study applied a probit model to assess these factors. Findings reveal that socio-economic factors including access to information, distance to the market, availability of extension services, and crop diversification significantly (p < 0.05) influence the participation of smallholder farmers in HVM. To enhance the participation of smallholder vegetable farmers in HVM, the study recommends that the government and agricultural organizations invest in extending agricultural extension services to remote farming areas. Additionally, efforts should focus on enhancing transportation infrastructure. Furthermore, the study suggests facilitating the dissemination of market information to smallholder farmers through information centers, mobile apps, or SMS services, to provide them with real-time market updates. Lastly, promoting specialization in crop production is encouraged. These combined measures can empower smallholder farmers, leading to increased participation in high-value markets, ultimately resulting in improved economic outcomes and livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a double-hurdle approach, we assess factors associated with the extent of participation in the rice market with data for small-scale farmers drawn from a nationally representative dataset. The results suggest that larger endowments and assets, animal farming and commercialization, and alternative off-farm income make farmers less likely to participate. Conversely, having access to credit, larger farm sizes, and being part of a farmers' association all increase the likelihood of participation. Farms with better technological resources are also those with higher sales volumes. Further understanding market participation dynamics should prove useful for deriving evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen this Bolivian sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient effective supply of the data factor and insufficient motivation of market participants are the main reasons for the inactivity of China's data factor market, and there are practical problems that need to be solved in data factor markets. Much of the existing research is based on the elucidation of difficult issues such as ownership and pricing caused by the new characteristics of data, or demonstrates from a macro perspective around the top-level design, the logic of value, and organizational structure of the data factor market. However, there is insufficient research on the market role, participation motivation and cultivation mechanism of enterprises at the micro level. This paper draws on the framework of “motivation-ability” in the field of electronic market to analyze the theoretical factors behind the problem of “difficult participation” in the data factor market. We found that not all enterprises can serve as data factor providers in market transactions. In view of transaction efficiency and compliance considerations, companies are unwilling or afraid to enter the market; and the more fundamental reason is that companies lack R&D technology for data factor products, or do not have the ability to accurately enter the relevant market to convert technological advantages into commercial advantages ability. From the perspective of market supply-side cultivation, this paper proposes the concept of “data factor enterprises”, which is defined as “enterprises directly involved in the factorization of data resources in the data factor market”. Data factor enterprises should participate in the chain of data production in the data ecosystem, and the final product of the chain is the data factor product. The term we proposed do not specifically refer to a certain type of data market participant, but emphasize business capabilities that use data element products as output. The support of data factor enterprises can refer to the cultivation model of high-tech enterprises represented by “hard & core technology” enterprises, and at the same time need to consider the characteristics of data value chain and data assets. Finally, based on a global perspective, a systematic and incentive-compatible cultivation plan is proposed for data factor enterprises as major producers, enterprises in various industries as demanders under the background of digital transformation, and various professional service organizations. Specifically, four methods are proposed: business ecosystem interconnection, qualification, fiscal and financial support, and demand stimulation. Compared with the previous literature, this paper studies the incentive mechanism of data market participation for the first time from the micro perspective of market participants, and puts forward both a theoretical interpretation and a practice plan for the major issue of “data fundamental system construction” from the perspective of enterprise growth and cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock market participation is an important way to improve the livelihoods and income of the smallholder farmers in Southwest Ethiopia. Although it plays an important role, livestock producers do not fully participate in the livestock market. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the intensity of livestock market participation in Southwest Ethiopia. To analyze the result, descriptive statistics and Poisson regression analysis were used. The results showed that 65.4% of the respondents have participated in livestock markets whereas 34.6% were not market participants. The Poisson regression result showed that experience in livestock production, education status, market access, access to grazing land, livestock owned and extension contact frequency affect positively while distance to a nearby market affects negatively and significantly on the intensity of livestock market participation. Based on the result of the study; lack of market access, long market distance, and lack of updated market information are the factors influencing livestock producers to engage in livestock market participation. Finally, this study suggests boosting farmer education through adult education and developing rural infrastructure (updated market information, road, and market and transport access), increase in farmers' training centers, improves consultation and training service could enhance the intensity of livestock market participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy storage is inherently a flexible asset that can be used to reduce renewable energy curtailment and the congestion at its host network, enhance system resilience, and provide ancillary services at peak times. But the cost of technology still hampers the large-scale adoption of storage in power distribution networks. With EV parking lots included in its asset portfolio, a city can take advantage of the power stored in the parked EVs without major capital investments. In this article, we formulate the operation of an EV parking lot from the viewpoint of its owner (i.e., a city or a private entity). The lot works as a market aggregator with operational uncertainties stemming from: (i) random arrival and departure of vehicles, (ii) the SoC of EV batteries at the times of arrival and departure, and (iii) willingness of EV owners to participate. The risks from these uncertainties and market prices of ancillary services impact the bottom line of the lot owner’s revenue. For EV owners the excessive up and down cycles of battery is offset by discount offered by the lot owner. We provide an illustrative example and a roadmap to extend this model to take the holistic view of a power distribution network.

Market participation by smallholder farmers is crucial for livelihood improvement in developing countries. Even though it is the source of currency, the fruit market has not been given attention. Therefore, this study intended to identify factors influencing avocado producers’ market participation decisions and volume of market participation in the Kaffa zone, Ethiopia. Gimbo and Chena districts were selected purposefully with a multi-stage sampling method on the bases of production potential. Data for this study were collected from 384 households from six representative Kebeles with the Cochran formula. Both primary and secondary data were employed. Primary data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Both descriptive statistics and the double hurdle econometric model were employed for analysis. The descriptive statistics showed that out of 384 households (236 participants and 148 were non-participants), 89.19% were male avocado market participants and 76.69% were male avocado non-market participants. The econometric model results confirmed that market participation decisions (hurdle 1) of producers were significantly influenced by sex, market experience, education level, and family size. The intensity of avocado market participation (hurdle 2) is significantly affected by the market experience, access to credit services, extension contact, family size, and off-farm income. Understanding the factors of both avocado market participation decisions and level of participation helps policymakers to re-adjust their policies both at the regional and federal government levels. Then, this study recommends that governments need to exploit more effort into market-oriented production to enhance the productivity of avocados. Credit providers also must strengthen. Additionally, modern production technologies must be taken into consideration to increase the avocado quantity produced.

Date palm production and marketing contribute substantially to food security, reduction of malnutrition, mitigation of poverty, and income diversification for poor agro-pastoralists in Ethiopia. However, marketing systems are not sophisticated and well functioning, and producers do not as such benefit from date market participation due to different factors. This study examined factors that determine date market participation decisions and intensity. A total of 384 date producers were selected through a multi-stage sampling technique. A Descriptive and Double hurdle model was employed to analyze the data. The Double hurdle econometric model revealed that producers with access to extension services, improved date palm varieties, credit, road infrastructure, market information, land access, better market prices, better educational status, and direct to consumer marketing channels were more likely to participate in and supply the date market. Whereas producers who had livestock, dwellings distant from the nearest market, or a greater number of date palm trees, were adversely affected in date market participation intensity. The results of this study support the recommendations for establishing extension services, rural education, rural road infrastructure, marketplaces, and institutional support; and providing credit access, improved date palm varieties, additional hectares of land for date production, and updated market information to date palm producers.