Analysis of market parameters of groundnuts in Mazowe district, Zimbabwe

Groundnut has been grown for many decades by small scale rural farmers in Zimbabwe as a means to boost their income. Production has been declining since the turn of the millennium due to many reasons which includes among others, having unsustained markets which has seen the country importing from neighbouring countries. The aim of the study was to investigate the availability and accessibility of groundnut markets in addition to analysing the factors influencing rural farmers marketing decisions with particular emphasis on prices. Literature sources and previous research suggested that women take a leading role in the marketing of groundnuts and market prices are highly seasonal. To fulfil the aims of the thesis, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in Mazowe district. A questionnaire was administered to 100 respondents from 10 randomly selected wards in the district. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were also conducted to triangulate the findings from the main survey. Data capturing was done using SPSS version 20 and the analysis was done using MS Excel. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Friedman rank test and time series analysis. A Likert scaling technique was used to rate farmers perception on factors affecting price of groundnuts on the markets. Findings from the research indicated that groundnut markets are available in Mazowe district though the more lucrative ones are less readily accessible for rural farmers. Time series analysis of prices revealed that they are seasonal with the highest prices in April and lowest in July. The study concluded that three marketing channels are available in the study area and women play a significant role in groundnut marketing even though various constraints to marketing were cited