Abstract:
In Ethiopia, enset is one of the indigenous root crops widely cultivated in the south and south western parts. Particularly in Wonchi district it is a major source of food and cash income for majority of smallholder farmers. Enset processing and its product marketing is left for women regardless of the tediousness of the process. Though, it is considered as female’s work by the community, concrete evidence about the gender role in enset product market chain is not well documented. To this end, this study was intended to assess factors affecting kocho market participation decision and intensity of participation, market margin and outlet choices by producers in wonchi district. Both primary and secondary data were used for the study. Primary data were collected from randomly selected 184 sample enset producers through stratified two stage sampling technique and from 33 kocho traders. The data were analyzed using both descriptive and econometric methods. A double hurdle model was used to identify factors affecting enset producers’ market participation decision and intensity of participation. A multivariate probit model was used to identify factors affecting enset producers market outlet choices in the study district. The result indicated that both genders participated at different kocho market chain activities. The production stage is practiced mainly by males while enset processing, kocho marketing and controlling generated income are dominantly performed by females. Producers, wholesalers, retailers, village collectors and consumers were the enset product (kocho) market chain actors. The benefit share of producers ranges from 65.01% (channel III and IV) to 100% (channel I). The first stage of double hurdle shows that Participation decision in kocho market is positively and significantly related with availability of economically active labor in the family, land allocated for enset crop, decision making on kocho income utilization, ownership of transport facility and access to market information. In contrast, ownership of livestock and distance to the nearest market limit sampled respondents participation decision in kocho market. A second hurdle regression model result indicate that educational level of the household head, enset farming experience, land allocated for enset crop and decision making on kocho income utilization determine intensity of participation in kocho market positively and significantly. A multivariate probit model result show that educational level of the household head and amount of kocho supplied significantly affected the entire kocho market outlet choices. Educational level of the household head is positively and significantly related with selecting wholesalers and village collectors’ outlet choices while it adversely influence the retailers ‘outlet choice of kocho producers. The amount of kocho supplied influence wholesalers and village collectors’ outlet choices positively and significantly. In contrast, amount of kocho supplied to the market is negatively and significantly related with retailers outlet choice of producers. The study recommends provision of awareness creation to change the work division culture and perception difference between men and females in kocho market chain, spreading market information in chain actors, encouraging farmers to learn adult and formal education and rising experience producers through experience sharing on the enset production