Abstract

A robust maize marketing system is expected to be competitive and receptive to rural dwellers as well as improve their livelihoods. The specific objectives of this study were to examine the socio-economic characteristics of the participants in conventional and aggregation maize marketing; assessed the effects of conventional and aggregation maize marketing on income and livelihood and identified the constraints to participation in conventional and aggregation maize marketing. Multistage sampling procedure was employed in selection of 331 conventional maize marketers and 344 aggregation agents. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Z-test. Results revealed the mean ages of conventional and aggregation maize marketers were 44.5years and 34.5 years, respectively. Majority (91.8%) of the conventional and aggregation marketers (83.4%) were male. Majority of aggregation marketers (81.1%) had formal education compared to 72.2% of the conventional marketers. The mean annual income among the conventional and aggregation maize marketers was ?1,482,941.946 and ? 1,819,901.689 respectively. It was found that income of aggregators was significantly higher from income of the conventional marketers at 5% level of significance, (Z=-3.2897; p<0.05). The livelihood index parameters used show that about 50% of the aggregation maize marketers were within the range between 1.95 to 4.89 mean indexes compared to 42.6% of the conventional marketers. The major constraints ranked by the conventional marketers were unpredictable price of the maize (84.7%) and insufficient storage facilities (81.6%). While aggregators reported inadequate funds (97.7%) and inadequate government support in terms of maize price (92.7%) as their major constraints. Policy interventions focusing on improving price stability and the promotion of strategic maize grains storage facilities are recommended.

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