Effect of social networking on cocoa marketing performance in Osun state, Nigeria.
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Date
2025
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Department of Agricultural economics, Falculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University.
Abstract
This study described the socio-economic characteristics of cocoa marketers in Osun State, profile the structures of network of communication among the cocoa marketers, analysed the determinants of social networking used by cocoa marketers, and determined the effect of social networking on cocoa marketing performance in Osun State, Nigeria. These were with a view to enhancing the effect of social networking on cocoa marketing performance in the study area. Multi-stage sampling technique was used for the study. The first step involved purposively selecting five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Osun State (Ife East, Ife South, Ife North, Obokun, Atakunmosa East) based primarily on the presence of cocoa marketers in the study areas. The second stage involved randomly selecting two communities from each of the chosen LGAs. The third stage involved snow ball sampling technique to select twenty cocoa marketers from each of the community. In total, 200 cocoa marketers were surveyed for the study using a structured questionnaire. The data were collected on the socio characteristics of the respondents (age,gender, educational qualification, marital status, marketing experience), of network of communication among the respondents (network type, degree of centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, network density) and determinants of social networking used by respondents ( duration of relationship, frequency of meeting, type of trade, access to cooperative etc). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
The results revealed that 8% of cocoa marketers were women, and 92% of them were men. The average age was 57.0 ± 6.52 years, 83.50% were married, 82.50% had household size less than or equal to five people, 76.6% of respondents have access to market information. These findings indicate that having access to market information motivates cocoa marketers to increase their involvement in the direct market. These reveal that a significant portion (45.50%) of cocoa marketers who identified their primary sources of market information as networks (including neighbours, relatives, friends, and fellow marketers) had a direct network comprising 2 to 3 contacts. The respondents were the most central as they were identified by the highest number of egos as sources of information. Result of regression analysis on multivariate probit model revealed that the frequency of interaction among cocoa marketers negatively influences their choice of trader and neighbour networks at a 10% significance level and 1% respectively. Ordinary least square revealed that the duration of a relationship with (p < 0.01) significantly influence marketing margin. As hypothesized network size had a significant (p < 0.01) negative influence on the marketing margin.
The study concluded that key cocoa marketers act as information leaders within 200networking members; their involvement is crucial for effective information flow and broader economic transformation, emphasizing the need for strategic policies to boost cocoa marketing and infrastructure
Description
xiv, 131p.
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Citation
Adeyemi, M. A. (2025). Effect of social networking on cocoa marketing performance in Osun state, Nigerial.Department of Agricultural economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University.