The Effect of Market Channels and Prices on the Income and Livelihood of Cashew Farmers in Kombo South District of the Gambia

Abstract

This study examined the effect of market channels and prices on the income and livelihood of cashew farmers in Kombo South District of The Gambia. The objectives of the study were to ascertain include the types of market channels and their impacts on the income and livelihood of cashew farmers. A sample of 384 cashew famers was selected from Kombo South District using Taro Yamane formula. The findings of the study revealed that the main actors in the cashew market channels were wholesalers and retailers who serve as middlemen and they impose prices on the farmers. The findings also indicated that majority of the farmers sold their raw cashew nuts at a low price in 2020 than the previous year. The findings indicate that highlighted that market channels dictate prices and therefore affect the income and livelihoods of farmers, and also cause loss of jobs in plantations. The study therefore recommended that Cashew farmers should form cooperative societies as this will be the easiest channel through which their predicaments can be heard, and other benefits such as insecticides, fertilizers, soft loans and even grants can be accessed. The government should assist farmers in seasons where international prices are very low to prevent poverty and hunger and value addition in cashew nuts should be a priority especially with Food Technology Services (FTS) of the Department of Agriculture (DoA).