Factors Influencing Commercial Feed Buying Behaviour and Productivity of Small-Scale Dairy Farmers in Sululta, Ethiopia

The milk productivity of Ethiopian smallholder farmers is greatly influenced by the use of commercial feed. Despite its potential to increase milk production, commercial feed is still not widely used. The study examined the factors influencing the commercial feed purchasing behaviour of small-scale dairy farmers in the Sululta peri-urban area of Ethiopia. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data were collected from 348 farmers and analysed using the PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares Structural Model). The model examined the interaction of six latent variables: socio-economic factors (SEF), market factors (MF), perceptions (PER), Resource Management and Constraints (RMC), commercial feed purchasing behavior (CFB) and productivity and profitability (DPP). The results showed that, although socio-economic and market factors strongly supported positive perceptions of farmers (β = 0.112, β = 0.044 and p = 0.001, respectively), these attitudes were not translated into actual purchasing behaviour. Notably, the behaviour of the commercial buyers had a significant negative impact on profitability (β = −0.465, p < 0.001), indicating a serious imbalance between costs and benefits. To facilitate sustainable production, it is essential to move beyond perception-based interventions to structural economic reforms, including targeted micro-credit, stabilizing feed price volatility and reduce high transport costs.