Use of wealth ranking to analyse factors influencing smallholder farmers' market participation in northern Mozambique

This study analysed factors influencing smallholders' market participation, using wealth-ranking factors. Two hypotheses were tested: that (1) wealth status and (2) wealth-ranking factors are positively related to market participation. Significant and positive relationships were found between wealth-ranking factors (labour, number of livestock, implements, bicycles, food availability, area of land cultivated and crops sold) and wealth status. Wealth status and wealth-ranking factors were positively and significantly correlated with the number of different kinds of cash crops sold. However, household characteristics not indicated as wealth-ranking factors, such as age, gender and literacy level, related insignificantly to market participation. Labour was the most important wealth-ranking factor explaining market participation. This analytical tool can be used to assess the wealth-ranking factors that influence market participation. It can help identify strategies for improving this participation and may also be used to assess the way a cash crop development project affects a household's wealth status. 1 Respectively, Professor and Head of Discipline of Community Resources, School of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg; Agricultural Manager, World Relief International; Lecturer, Rural Resource Management; and Professor, Applied Plant Sciences, School of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg. The authors gratefully acknowledge the co-operation of the farmers, the João Ferreira dos Santos Company, German Agro Action, OXFAM and Acção Cristã Interdenominacianal da Saúde. The authors also express gratitude to World Relief International and the Swedish International Development Agency in Mozambique for making available the WR-SempreVerde facilities to collect the data used in this study.