Several researchers have shown in their study the impacts of the transition from subsistence to commercialised agricultural system in farmer welfare improvements through specialisation, nutritional change, social and economic development at household level as well as regional and national level. This study investigated the main drivers of the commercialisation process of highland pulse producers using the order logit model. To answer which model best fit our theoretical assumption and data, different model robustness test was applied. The result of the order logit regression model revealed that the number of family size, use of improved pulse seed and distance to the nearest agricultural development offices were statistically significant and have causal impact on the ability of household to participate in the output market. As would be expected, family size and use of improved pulse technologies appear in the model with negative and positive signs. Contrary to conventional wisdom and a prior expectation, distance to the nearest agricultural development office appears as positive and significant in pulse commercialisation.

Keywords: Agricultural development; commercialisation; highland pulse; market; order logit