Impact of organic fertilizer adoption on market participation among sorghum farmers in Ethiopia

Development economics places plenty of emphasis on identifying ways to reduce poverty. In this regard, agricultural innovations like natural fertilizers are getting increasingly recognized as critical tools for elevating productivity and driving financial transformation in low-profit regions. However, increasing crop yields by themselves won’t improve rural livelihoods; fair market integration is still necessary. This study investigates the determinants influencing organic fertilizer adoption among sorghum farmers in Moretna Jiru district, central Ethiopia and assesses how this technology impacts market participation. Primary data were collected from 192 randomly selected smallholder farmers during the 2022/2023 growing season. A Probit model was employed to identify factors driving adoption, while Probit and Tobit models (using a control function method) evaluated the likelihood and intensity of market engagement. Key findings reveal that household size, livestock holdings, extension services, land tenure and farm size significantly affect organic fertilizer adoption. The Probit and censored Tobit analyses further demonstrate that adoption positively correlates with both the probability of market participation and the volume of sorghum sold. These results spotlight how agricultural technologies can revolutionize rural development: elevated productivity creates marketable surpluses that allow smallholders to move from subsistence to industrial farming. This study identifies practical ways to promote meal safety, income increase and sustainable rural transformation through bridging the gap between market get admission to and technology adoption.