Abstract:
The study examined the potential for commercialization among selected small-scale potato farmers.
Fifty eight farmers in Mbizana were purposively sampled for the study, which reviewed production
challenges, investigated the potato supply market in the area and also estimated the farmer’s level
of commercialization.
Structured questionnaires were used to obtain information from the farmers and potato sellers, key
agricultural stakeholders in the area were interviewed, and reports from published materials
consulted. The study utilized the household commercialization index (HCI) and an ordinary least
square (OLS) regression model as its main analytical tool, while using descriptive statistics
produced from the SPSS (Version 15.0) statistical software to characterize the respondents and their
production and marketing features.
The study’s finding show that the farmers are producing on small sized farms allocated by
community leaders, rely on rain-fed cropping systems and do not have access to formal credit for
farming. While few of the farmers are still subsistent producers, most of the respondents sold
surpluses through informal market channels, as bottlenecks existed in accessing formal markets.
Average commercialization level among the respondents was estimated to be 0.48, indicating that
most of the farmers were below the half-way point to a fully commercialized status. Access to
credit, farm size and years of farming experience were determined to be significant factors affecting
commercialization among the respondents.
Though there is some support from a number of stakeholders, the study recommends increased
targeted support, through interventions that improve production practices, access to credit and
markets.
