DETERMINANTS OF SMALLHOLDER COTTON CONTRACT FARMING PARTICIPATION IN A RECOVERING ECONOMY: EMPIRICAL RESULTS FROM PATCHWAY DISTRICT, ZIMBABWE

Due to the recent economic recession and a decade of economic stagnation, anomalies have been observed in the cotton sector. An examination of the determinants of farmer participation in cotton contract farming was carried out on 100 smallholder farmers. The case was Patchway in Kadoma. Purposive sampling was used to select the study villages. Snowballing was then used to identify respondents. Questionnaires and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect data. Observations augmented data collection. Data were analyzed using logit regression model and Friedman rank test. Most parameters were observed to significantly influence participation. Non flexibility of the contractual arrangements was the major problem faced as well as price inconsistency. Though opportunities such as policies to counter side marketing exist, stringent implementation and monitoring regimes need to be put in place. This baseline analysis will aid in the development of sustainable strategies in restoring viability of the enterprise.