| Abstract: | In countries where Agriculture is the main source of income and employment, linking small holder farmers to agricultural marketing is important in order to improve their livelihood.
A critical problem, which is common across many value chains, is the lack of an effective seed system. This means farmers are unable to access sufficient seeds at the right time, place and price. Most farmers’ plant mixed degenerated seed. As a result grain quality is compromised and the problem is aggravated by use of poor post-harvest handling practices/technologies. Farmers have limited or no access to financial service to invest in their production, postharvest and storage of white pea beans. Some farmers work in organized groups and sell grain through their farmer unions, but most sell small amounts as individuals, early in the season, which reduces their income and profit.
As Ethiopia has started to open its markets, white Pea beans have emerged as one of the top five export products and this sector has attracted some foreign direct investment and interest from new formal markets. The processes of market reform are, however, leading to rapidly rising prices of all Ethiopian goods, this combined with regular droughts and an unclear market of data, raises questions about the long term attractiveness of Ethiopia as a new source for beans. To maintain its competitiveness the Ethiopian white pea beans requires upgrading interventions at the production, internal marketing and export market levels.
Between 2008/2009 and 2010/2011 harvest period, the internal prices of white pea beans have doubled. Farmers who used to sell at 320 birr ($18.8) for a 100 kg bag of WPB beans in 2008/9, sold at Birr 642.5 ($37.79) per 100 Kg in 2010/2011. According to ECX 2011 market season information, the local traders also gained increase in a similar shift. The evaluation of this research concluded a number of cooperatives. 2) Adequate knowledge in seed varieties 3) Capacity building in seed storage and 4) Data tracking.strengths in the implementation of the New Business Model approach like the price increase above and to some extent identified gaps: 1) More focus in linking smallholder farmers with primary |
