| dc.description.abstract | Banana (Musa spp) is an important starchy food and cash crop in Uganda with potential for food
and livelihood security. However, it is under threat of reduced productivity and sustainability with
the actual banana yields on small holder farms far less than the estimated potential yield. This is
attributed to a number of biophysical and socio-economic factors. In order to revert this trend, the
government introduced banana tissue culture technology as a measure of increasing productivity
and sustainability of this important crop as well as draw farmers out of poverty but many have still
rejected this technology and have reverted to land races. Hence, it remains unclear whether this
shift is due to socio-economic factors as affected by the politics of the time or as a result of other
factors. A survey was conducted amongst small holder farmers in Wakiso District, Central Uganda
to determine the drivers of socio-economic factors influencing tissue culture banana technology
adoption, examine the role of socio-economic factors in tissue culture banana production and to
establish the influence of agro-related policies in tissue culture banana technology adoption. 115
farmers who had adopted tissue culture banana technology under various government programs
were randomly selected and interviewed between February 2018 to May 2018. The data obtained
was analyzed using SPSS software (Ver.16.0).
Results from the study revealed that the drivers of the socio-economic factors influencing tissue
culture banana adoption were respondents’ main occupation (P = 0.028), market accessibility (P =
0.006) and proximity to source of planting materials (P = 0.000). Access to extension services
were great motivators to enhanced adoption of tissue culture banana (R2 = 0.539) while
accessibility to free tissue culture plantlets contributed 25.6% in the adoption (R2 = 0.256). Age
and mode of land acquisition were significant contributors to tissue culture banana yield (P<0.05).
In regard to influence of agro-related policies in tissue culture banana adoption, the findings
showed that 72.2% of the respondents were aware of Plan for Modernization of Agriculture
policy,4.3 % were aware of National Agricultural Policy, 11.3% were aware of National
Development Plan while 2.6% were aware of the Agricultural sector development strategy and
investment plan. However, further analysis revealed weak negative correlations for awareness of
PMA (r = -0.17), NDP (r = -0.10) and NAP (r = -0.109) polices and adoption of banana tissue
culture and a weak positive correlation for DSIP (r = 0.148). A chi-square test showed that
awareness of agro-related policies was equally insignificant in adoption of tissue culture banana.
The study recommended increasing access to extension services, developing distribution centers
for tissue culture plantlets at District level and equipping farmers with knowledge on agro-related
policies | en_US |
