Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua

Access to modern commercialization channels is key for smallholder farmers to be able to move away from subsistence farming and overcome poverty. However, achieving that goal is challenging for smallholders given their lack of appropriate managerial practices, production technology and infrastructur...

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Autores principales: Ebata, Ayako, Hernandez, Manuel A.
Formato: Artículo preliminar
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147958
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author Ebata, Ayako
Hernandez, Manuel A.
author_browse Ebata, Ayako
Hernandez, Manuel A.
author_facet Ebata, Ayako
Hernandez, Manuel A.
author_sort Ebata, Ayako
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Access to modern commercialization channels is key for smallholder farmers to be able to move away from subsistence farming and overcome poverty. However, achieving that goal is challenging for smallholders given their lack of appropriate managerial practices, production technology and infrastructure. This paper examines the effect of receiving training in two different entrepreneurial practices designed to link farmers to commercial markets: one direct aimed at the individual and farmer-association level and another indirect focused at the community level. We exploit an extensive panel dataset of staple bean farmers in Nicaragua who participated in a program run by a nongovernmental organization between 2007–2012. We find that the two market-linkage training activities had opposite effects on the commercialization of beans, especially on the intensive margin or volume of sales. While receiving direct training on entrepreneurial practices is positively associated with sales in commercial markets, training on municipality engagement (ME) activities is negatively associated. The market-linkage activities mainly affected entrant farmers as opposed to those already participating in commercial markets. We further find varying effects of the ME activities by plot size and leadership position. Additional results show that training activities that appear to work for bean producers do not necessarily work for other crop producers, and vice versa.
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spelling CGSpace1479582025-12-08T10:11:39Z Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua Ebata, Ayako Hernandez, Manuel A. commercial farming smallholders markets market access market linkage large-scale farming Access to modern commercialization channels is key for smallholder farmers to be able to move away from subsistence farming and overcome poverty. However, achieving that goal is challenging for smallholders given their lack of appropriate managerial practices, production technology and infrastructure. This paper examines the effect of receiving training in two different entrepreneurial practices designed to link farmers to commercial markets: one direct aimed at the individual and farmer-association level and another indirect focused at the community level. We exploit an extensive panel dataset of staple bean farmers in Nicaragua who participated in a program run by a nongovernmental organization between 2007–2012. We find that the two market-linkage training activities had opposite effects on the commercialization of beans, especially on the intensive margin or volume of sales. While receiving direct training on entrepreneurial practices is positively associated with sales in commercial markets, training on municipality engagement (ME) activities is negatively associated. The market-linkage activities mainly affected entrant farmers as opposed to those already participating in commercial markets. We further find varying effects of the ME activities by plot size and leadership position. Additional results show that training activities that appear to work for bean producers do not necessarily work for other crop producers, and vice versa. 2016-07-01 2024-06-21T09:23:34Z 2024-06-21T09:23:34Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147958 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146446 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155044 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/153491 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/160227 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.09.003 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ebata, Ayako and Hernandez, Manuel A. 2016. Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua. IFPRI Discussion Paper 1539. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147958
spellingShingle commercial farming
smallholders
markets
market access
market linkage
large-scale farming
Ebata, Ayako
Hernandez, Manuel A.
Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua
title Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua
title_full Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua
title_fullStr Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua
title_full_unstemmed Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua
title_short Linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets: Evidence from nongovernmental organization training in Nicaragua
title_sort linking smallholder farmers to commercial markets evidence from nongovernmental organization training in nicaragua
topic commercial farming
smallholders
markets
market access
market linkage
large-scale farming
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147958
work_keys_str_mv AT ebataayako linkingsmallholderfarmerstocommercialmarketsevidencefromnongovernmentalorganizationtraininginnicaragua
AT hernandezmanuela linkingsmallholderfarmerstocommercialmarketsevidencefromnongovernmentalorganizationtraininginnicaragua