Smallholder Farmers' Integration into Edible Oilseeds Value Chains: A Multivariate Probit Analysis of Market Outlets Choice in Hararghe Zones, Ethiopia

This study aims to examine determinants market outlet choices among smallholder producing edible oilseeds crops in Hararghe, Ethiopia, utilizing multivariate probit model(N=383). The results indicates significant interrelated and interdependent markets outlets. Access to market information's and extension services shifts significantly smallholder from collectors and retailors towards wholesale and cooperative market outlets. The larger volumes, male-headed household and access to credit services significantly increase the probability to sell to wholesales, while farmers at distance from the main markets outlets heavily rely on cooperative market outlets to reduce transactions. Smallholder producing groundnuts highly commercialized as compared to soybean producers across wholesales, retailors, and cooperative market outlets. It is vital to focus on the orientation of the extension services to market outlets choices in addition to assisting smallholder farmers to improve their agricultural productivity. Providing digitalized platforms reduce market information asymmetry. It is also quite essential to provide access to agricultural credit to improve smallholder farmers' capacity to invest in agricultural technologies to increase surplus produces for the market. To accelerate smallholder integration into high-value market chains, policy interventions must prioritize strengthening targeted extension, market information systems, and credit access.