Do food certification standards guarantee small-sized farming enterprises access to better markets? Effectiveness of marketing contracts in Kenya
International Journal of Social Economics
ISSN: 0306-8293
Article publication date: 31 March 2020
Issue publication date: 16 April 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of GLOBALGAP standards certification on farmer's preference for marketing contract choices including written contracts, oral contracts and spot contracts, as well as to establish the impact of marketing contracts on net returns from snap bean production in Kenya.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, we use a data collected from 446 Snap bean farmers in Kenya. Using a two-step selection Bourguignon Frontier and Gurgand (BFG) model and Propensity Score Matching (PSM), we analysed determinants of Global Gap Certification and other farming characteristics that influence smallholder farmers preference for marketing contracts and net returns from snap beans venture.
Findings
Results indicate that attending GLOBALGAP training, GLOBALGAP subsidy support, membership to GLOBALGAP farmer's groups, and selling beans to GLOBALGAP certified GLOBALGAP buyers would significantly influence better returns underwritten marketing contracts. Producing snap beans underwritten marketing contracts would get farmer's net returns of between 1.8 and 8% while producing under oral and spot market contracts would earn farmer net returns of between 0.2 and 0.08 %.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to examine the influence of GLOBALGAP standards certification on marketing contract choices and net returns from snap bean production, while accounting for selectivity biasness.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper was made possible through financial support provided by Ministry of Agriculture China, grant support number 2015-C5.
Citation
Gichuki, C.N., Gicheha, S.K. and Kamau, C.W. (2020), "Do food certification standards guarantee small-sized farming enterprises access to better markets? Effectiveness of marketing contracts in Kenya", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 47 No. 4, pp. 445-459. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-08-2019-0501
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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