Farmers’ Levels of Participation on Sesame Value Chains Analysis in Kafta Humera, Western Tigray Region of Ethiopia

Abstract

Efforts focused only on production and marketing issues to improve sesame commodity will not produce considerable results except the level and determinants of farmer’s participation on sesame value chains analysis are fully investigated.  Therefore, this study analyze the level and determinants of farmers’ participation on sesame value chains analysis in Kafta Humera district of Tigray, Ethiopia.  A total of 135 farm households and 6 sesame chain actors were selected for the study. Data on demographic characteristics of sample respondents and determinants of farmers’ participation on sesame value chains analysis were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Moreover, Tobit regression model was employed to analyze factors influencing the level of farmer’s participation in sesame value chains. Tobit regression model results revealed that sex and access to market information were found to influence farmer’s level of participation in sesame value chains positively while distance of sesame farm from the nearest market center, access to credit and house hold membership to multipurpose cooperative were found to influence their participation negatively. The study suggests that policy aimed at strengthen sesame value chains through farmers participation to accelerate agricultural development in the area could be successful if these negatively affecting factors took into consideration with further policy implementations.