An Analysis of Factors Influencing African Indigenous Vegetable Farmers’ Bargaining Power: A Case Study from Zambia

Abstract

Growing African Indigenous Vegetables (AIVs) is an innovative way to address poverty and malnutrition problems in Zambia. Farmers’ bargaining power plays an important role in increasing AIV production and farmers' income. Based on 300 responses from Zambian AIV farmers, we define AIV farmers’ bargaining power and analyze its benefits to farmers and the AIVs industry. We used the ordered logistic regression model (OLRM) to analyze the influences of several factors that contribute to farmers’ bargaining power. Three key results and innovations arose from the analysis of the data. First, we define farmers’ bargaining power through their self-reported bargaining power. Second, we find that the respondents’ bargaining power is significantly influenced by seven variables: age, gender, education, main trading partners, awareness of AIVs prices, and distance to the market from the farm. Last, farmers' bargaining power can be improved through education, especially women’s education level, strengthening farmers' organization construction, altering some of the farmers' trading methods, and developing infrastructure.