Determinants of consumer willingness to pay for solar dried traditional African vegetables: Insights from rural households in Tanzania

Solar dried traditional African vegetable (TAVs) are nutritious and can contribute towards dietary diversity in a household. However, solar drying technology is still new and its consumption is low. This paper examines factors influencing consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for solar dried TAVs. This study therefore aimed at enhancing intake by determining the factors influencing consumer willingness to pay. Contingent valuation method was adopted to elicit WTP. Empirical data were drawn from a cross-sectional study conducted in July, 2016 among 244 rural households in Iramba, Kongwa and Mpwapwa districts in Tanzania. Double bounded dichotomous choice model was used to determine factors influencing consumers’ WTP. The results indicated that age, gender and household income are some of the factors positively influencing consumer willingness to pay. The study recommends further training targeting females on nutritional benefits of solar dried TAVs and solar drying technology. Key words: Solar drying, traditional African vegetables, willingness to pay