Assessment of Farmers Market Access and Agricultural Commercialisation in Adamawa State

This study assesses the level of agricultural commercialisation among farmers in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria, and examines the role of market access in determining commercialisation outcomes. Agricultural commercialisation, the shift from subsistence to market-oriented farming, is essential for raising farmer incomes and stimulating rural economic growth. Adamawa State's diverse farming economy in maize, sorghum, and cotton provides a useful context for examining commercialisation determinants. This study uses a survey design, collecting data from 210 farming households in Yola South, Gombi, and Lamurde local government areas. Commercialisation is measured using the household commercialisation index, defined as the proportion of output sold in the market. Market access is assessed using road quality, market distance, price information access, and transport cost indicators. Multiple regression and Tobit estimation are applied. Findings reveal that the average household commercialisation index in the sample is 0.48, indicating that slightly less than half of farm output is marketed. Road quality and market distance are the strongest market access determinants of commercialisation. Farmers within 5 kilometres of a market show commercialisation indices 24 percentage points higher than those more than 20 kilometres away. The study concludes that market access improvement is the most critical intervention for promoting agricultural commercialisation in Adamawa State. It recommends rural road rehabilitation as a priority agricultural investment.

Keywords: agricultural commercialisation, market access, Adamawa State, household commercialisation index, rural roads.