Market participation does not guarantee that rural actors have the information, skills and coordination needed for informed exchange. The study examined value chain roles and market support gaps among 266 shea actors in Arilo Sub County, Yumbe district. Descriptive statistics, selected association tests and two exploratory logistic models were used. Producer, processor and seller roles overlapped substantially, with 31% reporting all three. Women were more likely than men to report processor and seller roles. Half of respondents lacked current market information, 93% reported no organization supporting shea marketing, 79 lacked processing training and 72% lacked production finance. Seller role reporting was associated with higher odds of no current market information (OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.71 to 5.38, p<0.001). Lack of market information was associated with higher odds of reported income insufficiency (OR 3.84, 95% CI 1.82 to 8.10, p<0.001). The findings support actor-function-based, market-oriented extension without establishing causal and commercialization depth.
Keywords: Shea nilotica, actor role overlap, farmer organization, market information, market-oriented extension
