The issue of market access may usefully be considered according to three dimensions: physical access to markets; structure of the markets; and producers’ lack of skills, information and organization. Physical access to markets. Distance to markets – and lack of roads to get to them (or roads that are impassable at certain times of the year) – is a central concern for rural communities throughout the developing world. It undermines the ability of producers to buy their inputs and sell their crops; it results in high transportation costs and high transaction costs, both to buyers and sellers; and it leads to uncompetitive, monopolistic markets. The objectives of the study is: to find out how market location determines market access for agricultural based projects in Rwanda, to find out how Market information determines market access to agricultural based projects in Rwanda, to explore the level at which the Influence of cooperative societies determines market access to farmers in Rwanda, to analyse the degree at which factor costs determines market access to farmers in Rwanda, to evaluate the extent to which trainings determines market access to farmers in Rwanda. The target population consisted of 100 cooperative management committee members from 20 cooperatives working with Home Grown School Feeding project in Nyaruguru District. That is; 5 committee members in each cooperative. A census method, also commonly called a total population, is one that was selected based on the fact that the size of the population was small and easy to identify and reach. The census method was used due to small size of the population. In data collection, the researcher used structured questions method. In this case the enumerators helped the target group respond to the questions. Data was than analysed and tested using descriptive statistics to test the relationship between the variables. The study found out that the fact that market access is determined by several determinants; that is: Producer’s location in terms of distance to the buyer, nature of the road and means of transport, Market information in form of how the organization gets produce from members to a collection point for sale or delivery, knowledge about pricing and competitors, Factor costs like reduced transport costs, costs for collection of the produce and market search costs. All these costs should be minimal for the smooth operation of the farmers, Trainings mostly on marketing, managing post-harvest losses, branding and packaging, the use of modern seed multiplication techniques and introduction of low cost seed varieties. It is challenged by poor transportation infrastructure as the most pressing hinderance to their market access, High costs of collecting and preparing commodities for market, limitted pricing information, long distance to the market and seasonal problems linked to rain/disruption of roads.
Keywords: Agricultural Based Projects, Market Access, factors affecting Market Access
