Market Chain Analysis of Moringa Stenopetela. A Case of Konso Zone, SNNPRS, Ethiopia

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2021 in the subject Agrarian Studies, grade: Very Good, Arba Minch University (Arba Minch University), course: AgriCultural Economics, language: English, abstract: In the last few years, the international and domestic demand for Moringa has increased. Despite Moringa market value and its increased production volume, its market potential has not been fully studied and quantified, results in poor prices among small-scale farmers and producers still experience marketing challenges. This research attempted to analyze the Moringa market chain in the Konso zone. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to contact 257 farmer respondents and a rapid market appraisal was made to select 31 traders. Semi-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to collect data from small-scale Moringa farmers through face to face interviews. The data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics and econometrics model. The aim of this paper, therefore, intends to analyze the current Moringa marketing chain and its contribution to household income in the Konso zone because increasing market participation among smallholder producers has the potential to lift them to better income levels through increased productivity and surplus production. And also increased market participation by the poor rural people is important as a means of breaking from the traditional semi-subsistence farming. It has been argued that market-oriented production can achieve welfare gains through specialization and comparative advantage, economies of scale, and regular interaction and exchange of ideas. Unfortunately, poor farmers who need this kind of welfare boost constrained by several factors in their quest to participate in the market for their goods and services in the study area.