Assessing the impact of collective action on maize market performance. A case of the Sasakawa one stop centre association (OSCA) in Zirobwe Subcounty, Luwero district

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of collective action on maize market performance, a case of the Sasakawa One Stop Center Association in Zirobwe Sub-county, LuweroDistrict. The study was guided by three objectives which included: to characterize maize farmers based on participation in collective action and access to services offered by the OSCA; to assess factors that drive farmer participation in collective action through the OSCA, and; to characterize post harvest handling management practices, maize sales, variable costs and profitability of smallholder farmers, all in Luwero district. The study carried out a detailed literature in relation to the study. The study used a cross sectional research design which involved use of a quantitative approach. A sample of 90 respondents was used and these included maize farmers who were selected randomly. Data was collected and analyzed using SPSS and STATA computer packages. The study indicated that 51.1% of the respondents were OSCA participants and 48.9% were the non-participants. The mean age of the household head for participant was on average higher (39.1 years) than for the non-participant (37.8 years). The results also showed that the factors that significantly affect participation were; gender and education level of the household head. The gross margin for the OSCA participants was UGX 147,000; while that for non-participants was UGX 15,000.This shows that participation in the OSCA is more profitable. The study recommends that governmentshould intervene more in availing relevant assistance to the OSCA. It is evident that OSCA provides a form of institutional arrangement of reaching out to many farmers through organized collective action in maize marketing. The government can further establish more OSCAs in the numerous Ugandan districts.