Commercialization of Smallholder Pulse Producers in East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia

This study examines pulse producers’ commercialization using a cross-sectional data obtained from 385 randomly and proportionately selected sampled households from East Gojjam zone, Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric model to characterize sample households and identify factors affecting pulse output commercialization. The mean commercial index for the sample households was 0.345 which indicates that on average a household sold 34.5% of his/her total pulse produce. As a result, farm households’ output commercialization levels fall in semi-commercial farming system. Two limit Tobit model result indicated that farm households’ crop output commercialization was positively and significantly influenced by access to improved seed, cooperative membership, land size, access to market information and pulse yield and was negatively and significantly influenced by family size and livestock owned. Based on the findings, improved seed/new varieties should be released and accessed to smallholder farmers, deliver market information timely, land owned allocation should be intensified so that smallholder producers can increase their crop output commercialization, strengthening the existing farmers’ cooperatives and finally cut and carry livestock feeding system should be practiced in order to manage farm land properly.