Analysis of factors influencing soybean market participation among smallholder farmers in Central province of Zambia

In Zambia, soybean is an economically important agricultural product. In the food chain of Zambia, soybeans play an important role in the production of edible oil and animal feed. However, in Chibombo district of Central Zambia, the participation of small-scale soybean producers in the market is still. The decision of small farmers to sell products to the market is influenced by various factors. Therefore this research aim is to analyze the factors that affect the tendency of soybean producers to sell products to the market in Chibombo district of Zambia. The main material of the research is the primary data of 2017 soybean smallholder data obtained by face-to-face survey method The site selection criteria is based on that fact that Chibombo district dominated in soybean production in 2017. The obtained primary data were analyzed using the Double Hurdle model. According to the research findings; only 48 of the 70 soybean producers sold the soybean produced to the market while 22 producers did not sell. According to Probit model results; the level of education, product price, distance to the nearest market, farmer input support and access to the extension service significantly affected the sales decision of soybeans in the market. According to the results of truncated model; it was determined that the unit price, the cost of the transport, the distance to the nearest market, the farmer input support and the market information and Access to extension service affected the amount of soybean sold. To increase the participation of small farmers in the market; studies on effective price policies, road infrastructure and farmer extension services, access to marketing information, commercialization, improved storage facilities and access to agricultural products should be carried out. Farmers should also be involved in contracted farming for a higher price.