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Abstract

Collaboration has increasingly been recognized as a strategic approach for enhancing performance. However, limited attention has been given to the relationship between horizontal collaboration practices and the operational performance of horticultural smallholder farmer groups in downstream supply chains. This study examined this relationship through the lens of Social Exchange Theory. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from 195 smallholder horticultural farmer groups across the southern highlands of Tanzania, including Mbeya, Iringa, Njombe, and Songwe regions. Analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The findings reveal that all collaboration practices improve operational performance; resource sharing is strongest, information sharing supports coordination, and group commitment has a weaker effect. Theoretically, SET shows practical exchanges (resources, information) drive performance more than relational exchanges; horizontal collaboration practices among smallholder horticultural farmer groups is a key performance driver in resource-limited agricultural settings. Practically, smallholder horticultural farmer groups should prioritize resource and information sharing to boost operational performance, while commitment supports long-term collaboration. Furthermore, policymakers are encouraged to design agricultural policies that promote horizontal collaboration, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17. Training institutions and development stakeholders are also advised to develop targeted programs to enable smallholder horticultural farmer groups to maximize the benefits of collaboration practices and improve efficiency in horticultural supply chains.

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