Determinants of Market Access Among Smallholder Onion and Carrot Farmers in Wanale Sub-County, Mbale Distrct, Uganda

This study examined the determinants of market access among smallholder onion and carrot farmers in Wanale Sub-county, Mbale District, Uganda. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from 250 smallholder farmers who completed and returned questionnaires out of a target sample of 285 farmers, representing an 87.7% response rate. The farmers were selected through multi-stage sampling, while qualitative data were obtained from 15 key informant interviews and three focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and linear regression, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings established that market infrastructure significantly influenced market access among smallholder onion and carrot farmers in Wanale Sub-county (β = 0.406, t = 3.783, p = 0.001), explaining 40.6% of the variation in market access. Descriptive results showed mean scores ranging from 3.74 to 4.17, indicating general agreement that road conditions, transport availability and affordability, and storage facilities affect market access. Qualitative findings further revealed that poor roads, high transport costs, inadequate crop-specific storage, and limited collection and loading facilities increase post-harvest losses, constrain access to better-paying markets, and weaken farmers’ bargaining power. The study recommends improving rural feeder roads, promoting affordable and reliable transport services, developing crop-appropriate storage facilities, establishing produce collection and loading centres, strengthening collective marketing through farmer groups, and enhancing access to timely market information to improve market access among smallholder onion and carrot farmers in Wanale Sub-county.