Governance and participation of smallholder farmers in collective marketing of maize in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Small-scale farmers face many constraints that impede them from taking advantage of market opportunities. The successful adoption of collective marketing techniques depends on farmers' willingness to adopt decision-making and management systems based on trust and shared goals. However, it has been noted and reported that over half of the collective action groups in Kenya fail due to poor governance. Few studies have attempted to address the effect of governance on smallholder farmers' participation in collective marketing, thereby leaving a dearth gap in the existing literature. The study's primary purpose was to identify and analyze the effect of governance on participation and extent of participation of smallholder farmers in the collective marketing of maize in Uasin Gishu County. The specific objectives were to establish the effect of gender- inclusive leadership, evaluate the effect of participatory leadership, determine the effect of leadership training and the effect of level of cooperation on participation and extent of participation of smallholder farmers in collective marketing. The study was guided by the theories of Collective Marketing and Collective Bargaining. The study population was 512 members drawn from 21 Farmer Organizations (FOs) that participate in collective marketing of maize in Uasin Gishu County. The sample size of the study was 156 members. This sample was picked from the FO in proportion to their population. Primary data was collected through questionnaires. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, percentage, standard deviation, ratio and frequency distribution. The Heckman two-stage selection model was used to determine the effect of governance on participation and extent of participation of small holder farmers in collective marketing. The findings showed that the level of cooperation had a significant positive effect on collective marketing (β=0.796, p=0.034) and participation (β=0.117, p=0.041). Leadership training positively affected market participation (β=0.507, p=0.015) and had no effect on the level of market participation (β=-0.066, p=0.231). More findings showed that participatory leadership had no effect on market participation (β=-0.015, p=0.282) but had a positive effect on the level of market participation (β=0.029, p=0.003). However, gender inclusivity did not affect both market participation and the level of market participation. Thus, the study concluded that the level of cooperation, leadership training, and participatory leadership are vital determinants of market participation. It is therefore prudent for members of farmer organizations to have the knowledge and to fully participate in marketing activities. Leaders need to work with members to realize the collective potential of the group. There is a need for collective marketing, management, and organizational development training programs to align skills with the marketing strategies to improve the process of marketing among smallholder farmers