Effects of rural-urban linkages on markets access in Kibaigwa Emerging Urban Centre, Kongwa District, Tanzania
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Date
2018
Authors
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
This study assessed the effects of rural-urban linkages on markets access in Kibaigwa
Emerging Urban Centre (EUC), in Kongwa District. Specifically, the study aimed at
characterizing the agricultural markets; examining factors affecting market accessibility to
smallholder farmers; determining the contribution of rural-urban linkages on expansion of
markets, market networks, and access to market and livelihood strategies in Kongwa
District. A total of 202 respondents were randomly selected, whereby 120 were
smallholder farmers, 42 were traders and 40 were transporters. Gini coefficient and
descriptive statistic were used to characterize the existing markets. The results show that
there was high concentration in the market with low degree of competitiveness. In
estimating the factors affecting market access by farmers, binary logistic regression was
used. The results show that distance from home to the market, road conditions, availability
of agricultural information, the means of transport owned and age of the farmer,
statistically influenced market access by smallholder farmers in Kibaigwa. Moreover,
network analysis, descriptive statistics and Sustainable Rural Livelihood (SRL) framework
were used to determine the contribution of rural-urban linkages on markets and market
networks expansion, and access to livelihood resources/strategies. The results revealed
that through economic, marketing and social activities market networks expand from the
villages to the urban. Furthermore, the results from Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) show
that the linkage contributes more to EUC than to rural farmers on access to market.
However, rural farmers were found to have low access to livelihood resources/strategies
than EUC farmers. In conclusion, rural-urban linkages have a great impact on markets
access and market expansion for smallholder farmers if they are well informed about
quality and price of produce and are connected to towns and small towns market centres.
Therefore, it is recommended that the government and agricultural development partners
should improve infrastructures and provide agricultural information to farmers so as to
enable them benefit effectively from such linkages.
Description
MSc. Dissertation
Keywords
Rural-urban linkages effects, Agricultural markets, Kibaigwa Emerging Urban Centre, Kongwa District, Tanzania