Impact of Agro-Dealer Input Distribution System on Sugar-Bean Farmers Productivity in Mutasa District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Limited access to necessary agro-inputs has been the cause of low agricultural productivity and the overall poor economic growth and development in most parts of Sub Saharan Africa. Agro-input dealers play a vital role in guaranteeing that farmers have access to essential agricultural inputs necessary in contributing to boosting agricultural productivity. Agro-dealers have potential to drive development efforts in rural areas especially beyond the efforts of government input subsidies, development aid, donor and foreign aid agencies, by being the pivotal point driving smallholder development through capacity building efforts that will result in boosts in productivity. Sustainability of the intervention is thus a problem. This study therefore seeks to assess the impact of an agro dealer’s input distribution systems in improving sugar bean smallholders’ productivity at local and community level. A cross sectional study was conducted in four wards in Mutasa District, Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The study adopted an analytical cross sectional quantitative research. The target population was smallholder sugar-bean farmers that were exposed (adopted) to the Agro-dealer input distribution system and those that were not exposed (not adopted) to the Agro-dealer input distribution system between the 2020 to 2021 cropping season. The study used one agro-dealer’s input distribution system. The agro-dealer has structured distribution points in Mutasa District that are ideal for the purposes of gathering information on the impact of their input distribution system. A small sample of the sugar-bean smallholder farmers in Mutasa District was purposively selected from Wards 15, 16, 19, and 20 to represent the study population. The researcher collected cross sectional primary data through personally administered interviews using structured questionnaires from the four wards of Mutasa District. Data collected was cleaned before entering into Microsoft Excel and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences for analysis. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and multiple regression model in econometric analysis. Results showed that seasonal shortage of inputs; high cost of inputs; lack of extension advice and distance to input markets emerged as the major challenges affecting smallholder farmers in acquiring farm inputs in Mutasa District. The study revealed that access to hybrid seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides; distance to input markets, household size and off farm income are variables that are statistically significant in influencing smallholder’s productivity. The conclusion of the study is that an agro-input distributor located in the community, who is well stocked and prepared for each seasonal production, has an impact on productivity of smallholders in the area. Recommendations are that Agro-input distributors have opportunities to scale up sales and turnover if they stock timely and in bulk in local communities. Policy makers can encourage agribusiness value chains to relocate to rural or community areas if they enforce policies that improve infrastructural development of these areas.