Contextual analysis of Teff marketing: empirical evidence from Halaba, Lomie, Shenkora na Minjar and Tahtay Maichew

Abstract

Grain marketing in Ethiopia is important for the agricultural sector as it is the largest of all the agricultural
markets, and it involves a large number of participants. Since the adoption of the new economic policy in
1991 in Ethiopia, agricultural markets have been reformed and prices of commodities are determined
through market mechanisms. Though Teff marketing was practiced for decades in the study areas, and
there are studies on the quantitative aspects of the Teff value chain, it is not well supported by qualitative
research. Thus, the aim of the study is to qualitatively and systematically examine the situation of Teff
marketing in Ethiopia from smallholder farmers’ and stakeholders’ perspective.
The researchers used a multistage sampling to select top Teff producing regions, districts, and Kebeles.In
this regard, four Teff producing districts were purposively selected from four different regions. Moreover, a
total of eight Kebeles were purposively selected from the four districts. In gathering empirical data, about
84 focus group participants were purposively selected from eight Kebeles. Moreover, about 25 key
informants were purposively selected from district, regional, federal level officials, and wholesalers. A
systematic review of scientific journals and documents were used to assess previous studies. Content
analysis was used to code and categorize the qualitative data and to generate the key themes.
The survey result indicates that Teff is a cash crop value. The government is following free market
economy and farmers are free to sell their crops. However, the Teff marketing in Ethiopia largely relies on
traditional practices and the farmers are not getting benefits as much as they deserve to be. Thus, it is
recommended that the government should create an enabling environment for the participation of farmers
in Teff marketing and develop strategies for modernizing the market.