Abstract

Merely providing support on improved yields for increased crop productivity to smallholder farmers can not improve the household food security. But parallel support for market linkages to crop producer smallholders can reap the full benefit of this increased crop productivity because lack of reliable and accessible market linking system has been found to be one of the main constraints faced by smallholder crop producer farmers for their food security improvements. So understanding the effects of crop market participation for the improvements of household food security has essential effects. The focus of this study is analyzing the effects of crop market participation in improving food security among smallholder crop producer farmers in the case of Ada’a woreda, Central Ethiopia. 160 sample size respondents of crop producer smallholder farmers represent this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from primary and secondary sources. Interview schedules, focused group discussions and key informant interviews were the major data collection methods. Descriptive statistics, Tobit and multinomial logit econometric regression models were employed and operated for the analysis. The result showed that, high, low ad medium degree of crop market challenges and arable land size were significantly identified factors and affected household crop market participation intensity negatively. While none degree of crop market challenges and extension service for the household per year were significantly identified factors and affected household crop market participation intensity positively. Multinomial logit regression result revealed that, household crop market participation intensity was found significant at 1% sig. level on both moderately food secured (51_79) and food secured (80_102) household food security levels relative to food insecure (0_50) and showed its positive effect for the household food security improvement. As a result, though household crop market participation intensity influenced the household food security significantly at 1% sig. level but the food insecure situation is the most frequently occurring situation in the woreda. This implies the household crop market participation intensity in the woreda is low and producing crop for the purpose of household consumption rather than for market. Which indicated that crop market challenge reduced ways of interventions by triggering the augmentation of reliable and accessible marketing system through adaptable crop market linking approach is required for the central Ethiopia household food security enhancement.

Key words: Crop market participation, food security, smallholders, Central Ethiopia/Ada’a woreda.