Determinants of market participation among indigenous chicken farmers in Vurra Sub County, Arua District
Abstract
Market participation is very vital for sustaining economic growth, food security and poverty alleviation. The increased consumption of indigenous chicken eggs and meat due to their taste, flavor and health benefits in the recent years has raised the demand for local chicken increasing market opportunities, However, indigenous chicken keeping households are not market-oriented.
The study was undertaken to determine factors influencing market participation among indigenous chicken farmers in Vurra sub county, Arua district. The study was guided by the following objectives; to categorize indigenous chicken keeping households, to assess the factors influencing market participation of indigenous chicken farmers and to assess the challenges facing indigenous chicken production. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 80 indigenous chicken keeping households in the four parishes of Ringili, Eruba, Ajono and Kuluva in Vurra Sub County. Data was collected using detailed questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS (Version 16) and STATA (Version 14) through descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies and percentages. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize indigenous chicken keeping households and assess the challenges faced in indigenous chicken production. A logistic regression model was used to assess the factors influencing market participation of indigenous chicken farmers.
The study results revealed that majority of the indigenous chicken keeping households participate in indigenous chicken marketing but at low levels of market participation indicating average indigenous chicken sales by households this year and last year at approximately 4.8 and 10.6 chicken respectively. The results of the logistic regression model indicate that sex of the household head, age of the household head significant at 5% and 1% level respectively have a positive influence on market participation of indigenous chicken farmers and household size, access to credit, distance to market, all at 5% level of significance have a negative influence on market participation of indigenous chicken farmers.
The study recommends establishment of platforms that link producers to the consumers, this is helpful to the youth with less market-related connections to easily get market and promote their participation in indigenous chicken marketing and establishment of nearby chicken markets in every village so as to reduce transaction and transportation costs to further markets, this will increase market participation of indigenous chicken farmers.