Assessment of Farmer Group Dynamics and Collective Action Outcomes in Agricultural Marketing in Benue State, North Central Nigeria

Collective action through farmer groups has been promoted as a strategy for overcoming individual smallholder disadvantages in agricultural marketing, including limited bargaining power, high transaction costs, and information asymmetries. In Benue State, numerous farmer marketing groups operate across yam, soybean, and cassava value chains, but systematic analysis of how group dynamics influence collective marketing outcomes is limited. This study assessed farmer group dynamics and collective action outcomes in agricultural marketing in Benue State. Forty active farmer marketing groups were assessed using a group dynamics scoring tool, and 65 group members were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Data captured group size, leadership quality, participation equity, trust levels, marketing activity frequency, and income outcomes. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were applied. Results showed that groups with higher trust scores, equitable participation structures, and clear benefit-sharing mechanisms achieved significantly higher collective marketing volumes and better price realisation than groups with weak governance dynamics. Groups with external facilitation from NGOs or the Agricultural Development Programme recorded stronger collective action consistency. Elite dominance within some groups reduced equitable benefit distribution. The study recommends integrating group dynamics capacity building into farmer group formation protocols in Benue State and establishing transparent benefit-sharing frameworks as a prerequisite for collective marketing facilitation. Keywords: farmer groups, collective action, agricultural marketing, Benue State, group dynamics.