Market participation of irrigated smallholder vegetable farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Commercializing smallholder agriculture is a critical factor in the role played by agriculture in poverty reduction and food security in developing countries. While participation in markets offers opportunities for smallholder farmers to profit from agriculture and access essential resources, many still face limited market access and struggle to integrate into modern supply chains. At the same time, the same interventions that enhance commercialization could also negatively impact social cohesion in farming and result in deagrarianization which could indirectly explain the reported low market participation. A sociological perspective is needed to explore other possible determinations of market participation with special reference to vegetable growers using irrigation technology. This study, conducted in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, examines the factors that influence irrigated smallholder vegetable farmers' market participation Data from 234 smallholder vegetable growers were collected using a multi-stratified sampling technique and analyzed using the double hurdle model. The results reveal that while some smallholder vegetable farmers engage in the market, overall participation rate stands at just 38%. The study revealed that market participation was influenced by a number of economic, technical, institutional, social and cultural factors. The study recommends that government and non-government organizations provide support, enhance input availability, improve rural education, and implement proactive extension services to bolster vegetable marketing among smallholders.