Abstract
Commercialization of farm produce is a decision made at the household level. However, the decision is influenced by different socio-economic and institutional factors which in turn affect the level of commercialization. Therefore, cassava farmers in Taita-Taveta and Kilifi counties participate in the market at different commercialization levels due to their difference in market orientation. The Household Commercialization Index (HCI) was used to categorize cassava farmers into four different commercialization levels. This study has been informed by the decision theory which is concerned with the reasoning underlying an agent’s choices in the presence of options. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires from a sample of 250 smallholder cassava farmers. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of respondents and an Ordered Profit model was used to analyze the cassava commercialization levels. The results show that credit access, pest management, seed buying and area under cassava positively influence the level of commercialization while distance to the nearest market negatively influence the level of commercialization. Therefore, policy makers should initiate policies targeting the specified socio-economic factors in order to introduce incentives that will motivate smallholder cassava farmers to participate in cassava marketing at higher categories of commercialization level. Key words: Cassava, commercialization, farmers, market, Profit.  
Highlights
Cassava is a perishable crop and has a shelf life of approximately three days in its raw form after harvest (George et al, 2016)
The results show that, as distance to the market increases, smallholder cassava farmers are more likely to be in the lower categories of commercialization levels
This is because, an increase in distance to the market increases transport and production costs and reducing gains from cassava farming discoursing cassava marketing. This result corresponds with that of Florence et al (2017), Muhammad-Lawal et al (2014), Agwu et al (2013) and Martey et al (2012) who found a negative relationship between distance to the market and commercialization, whereby Florence et al (2017) concluded that it was due to increase in transport and transaction costs
Summary
Cassava is a perishable crop and has a shelf life of approximately three days in its raw form after harvest (George et al, 2016). Cassava is grown in 40 of the 54 countries in Africa and it is very adaptive to the tropical climate and soils. It has the ability to thrive in areas where other crops have failed like in the semi-arid regions and in less fertile soils. Cassava is widely consumed in many African countries and has significantly contributed to solving food insecurity problems in the continent. Different farming systems can be used to grow cassava, it has low labour requirements, it can do well in less fertile soils and can withstand drought. Cassava tubers can be processed into different products and it is termed as a famine reserve crop due to its ability to remain in the ground for over two years without spoilage (Infonet, 2018; Koplez; IITA, 2009)
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