An Investigation on the factors affecting coffee marketing in Zimbabwe among smallholder farmers
- Author
- Ngwende, Fanuel P.
- Title
- An Investigation on the factors affecting coffee marketing in Zimbabwe among smallholder farmers
- Abstract
- The purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing coffee marketing among smallholder farmers in Mutasa district (Honde Valley) and Chipinge in Zimbabwe. This was motivated by the fact that literature on coffee farming did not cover much on coffee marketing. The study seeks to critically investigate the factors influencing coffee marketing among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe and provide actionable recommendations to future smallholder coffee farmers in Manicaland province. The study collected data through both quantitative (household questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews and FDGs) methods. It adopted the Yamane sample size determination method whereby a sample size of 200 smallholder coffee farmers was interviewed in Manicaland specifically Honde Valley and Chipinge to investigate the factors influencing coffee marketing. The sample size of 200 smallholder farmers consisted of both male and female with different age groups. The study made use of econometric models (Multinomial regression models) to ascertain differences and effects on the outcome variable market access, (market channels which are either collectively or individually). Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the socio-economic factors influencing coffee marketing among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. A binary regression analysis was employed to assess the influence of institutional factors on coffee marketing among smallholder farmers. The majority of smallholder farmers operate on very small plots, with 69% owning less than two hectares and 37.5% cultivating less than one hectare and educationally 60.5% had secondary education and only 3% having tertiary education. The gender imbalance (only 66.5% male dominance) and low credit access (only 4.5%). The Pseudo R-Square values ( Nagelkerke = 0.618, McFadden =0.375) indicate that the model has strong explanatory power, particularly for behavioural data in agricultural marketing context. This paradox highlights that the model structure accurately reflects the data distribution. Institutional factors lacked statistical significance (Omnibus p =0.650) and explanatory power was low (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.079), although Hosmer and Lemeshow test showed that the model was well-calibrated (p =0.740). The study recommends that, it is essential to confront structural obstacles (related to land, labour and credit) and systematic deficiencies (in market access and institutional support. A comprehensive strategy that merges cooperative frameworks, infrastructure development, gender fairness and institutional reforms to empower farmers shift from mere survival to active and profitable market participators.
- Date
- May 2025
- Publisher
- BUSE
- Keywords
- Coffee marketing
- Smallholder farmers
- Supervisor
- Dr. N. Mafuse
- Media
-
Ngwende - AEEE.pdf
Part of An Investigation on the factors affecting coffee marketing in Zimbabwe among smallholder farmers