DETERMINANTS OF RICE FARMERS' PARTICIPATION IN FERTILIZER SUBSIDY PROGRAM: A CASE STUDY FROM THE BAGUINEDA IRRIGATED PERIMETER, MALI

Abstract

The study examine the determinants of rice farmers' participation in fertilizer subsidy program in the Baguineda Irrigated Perimeter of Mali. Data were collected from 384 rice farmers, including 234 non-beneficiaries and 150 beneficiaries of the subsidized fertilizer. The results reveal that 48% of males benefit from the fertiliser subsidy. In contrast, only 2% of females benefit from the fertiliser subsidy. Thus, men participate more than women in the fertiliser subsidy policy in the Baguineda irrigated area. The result revealed that 19.54% of rice farmers with a basic level of education benefit from the fertiliser subsidy, compared to 17.55% of rice farmers with no education in the Baguineda irrigated area. The results of the Mann Whitney U test indicate that the quantitative variables (cultivated area, yield per hectare, number of years of experience in agriculture, number of years of experience in rice cultivation, and income from rice sales) are significantly correlated with participation status in the fertiliser subsidy policy in the Baguineda irrigated area were statistically significant at 1%. The result revealed that area cultivated and yield had a positive and significant influence on the status of participation in the fertilizer subsidy policy in the Baguineda Irrigated Perimeter at P<0.001. A Logit model was used for the data analysis. The results indicate that factors such as cultivated area and yield have a significant positive influence on program participation, while training in agricultural production technique has a significant negative influence. Based on these results, the study recommends agricultural land development and strategies for increasing agricultural production, providing targeted training to farmers on various cultivation techniques and promoting participation in agricultural input subsidy policy with the aim of improving agricultural productivity.