ABSTRACT While previous studies recognise the importance of trust in cooperatives, there are very few empirical studies on the role trust plays in market participation in dairy cooperatives. This paper investigates the effect of trust on farmers’ milk market participation using data from dairy cooperatives in Ethiopia. First, a principal component analysis was performed on the data set of trust indicators to construct a composite indicator for measuring farmers’ trust. Second, the Heckman two-step procedure was employed to investigate the effect of trust on milk market participation. The result from the Tobit model indicates that trust is an important factor influencing the intensity of milk marketing through the cooperatives. The following implications are worthy of consideration for improving farmers’ trust and thereby market participation: improving the competency of the management, communicating and sharing of information, and democratic election of the management.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚西肖亚乳业合作社信任对农民牛奶市场参与的影响

摘要 虽然以前的研究认识到信任对合作社的重要性，但很少有关于信任在乳品合作社市场参与中的作用的实证研究。本文使用埃塞俄比亚乳业合作社的数据研究了信任对农民牛奶市场参与的影响。首先，对信任指标数据集进行主成分分析，构建衡量农民信任度的复合指标。其次，采用 Heckman 两步程序来研究信任对牛奶市场参与的影响。Tobit 模型的结果表明，信任是影响合作社牛奶营销强度的重要因素。以下影响值得考虑，以提高农民的信任度，从而提高市场参与度：