Abstract:
As elsewhere in the country, in Tigray Region, community-based seed production has a potential for improving farmers' access to quality seed of locally adapted and preferred varieties. Besides, Seed Producing Cooperatives (SPCs) are also fully engaged in formal seed production as contract out-growers to public enterprises that benefits members economically. Though the agro ecology of the study area is suitable for seed production, many of the smallholder farmers in Southern Zone of Tigray are not members to SPCs and thus not benefitting from the emerging sector. The research investigated farmers’ perceptions and determinants of participation in SPCs in southern Zone of Tigray. Both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were employed to select a total of 192 sample households for the study. The dataset required for the study was generated through structured survey, focus group discussion and key informant interview. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, ranking index, and binary logit were used to analyze the data. The result of t-test and chi-square test show that the participant and non-participant are significantly different in cultivable land size, distance to nearest market, years of experience in cooperatives, distance to SPCs office, perception on price of seed, participation in field days and participation in trainings at 1%, in family labor size, livestock holding, frequency of extension contact and perception on risk involves in seed production at 5%, and in age and sex of household heads at 10% significance levels. The result of logit analysis shows that, among the eighteen explanatory variables included in the model, smallholder farmers’ participation in SPCs was significantly affected by household head’s age, sex, distance to nearest market, distance to SPCs office, extension contact, participation in field days, participation in trainings, family labor endowment and cultivable land size. Suitable agro-ecology, fertile land and timely availability of inputs are opportunities for further development of community-based seed production, whereas limited working capital, difference in commitment and interest of smallholder farmers are the challenges yet to be addressed. The findings indicate that, the more the farmers get extension services (trainings, field days participation and frequent extension contacts), owns large cultivable land and have better family labor endowments, the more tendency to participate in SPCs. Thus, enhancing the institutional supports services, building capacity of farmers and using labor saving pre-harvest and post harvest technologies would improve smallholder farmers’ participation in SPCs. Additionally, improving the facilities of SPCs, capacity building of members on their guiding by-laws and creating common interest among members would contribute for future development of SPCs to produce in quantity and quality seed to the community