Early-Stage Adoption of Improved Banana “Matooke” Hybrids in Uganda: A Count Data Analysis Based on Farmers’ Perceptions

Abstract

This paper analyzes farmers' perceptions regarding the consumption and production attributes of new banana hybrids in Uganda. The data were collected from a sample of 454 farmers. Following descriptive statistics and a factor analysis, a zero-in°ated poisson (ZIP) regression model was estimated to understand the e®ect of farmers' perceptions and other factors on the likelihood of adopting the new hybrids. The results show that, compared to a local variety (Mbwazirume), four of the hybrids are preferred in terms of production attributes but regarded as inferior with respect to consumption characteristics. Resistance to nematodes, tolerance to weevils and high performance in good seasons in terms of bunch size mainly explain early-stage adoption of the hybrid banana varieties. Hybrid M9 is regarded as having a relatively good performance with respect to most of the production and consumption characteristics. In collaboration with extension agents, variety M9 could be disseminated to a wider farming community that targets larger households, younger farmers and farmers with relatively large sizes of land.

The East African highland cooking bananas ‘Matooke’ preferences of farmers and traders: Implications for variety development

“…The top five undesired attributes are small and short fingers, immature fruits, spotted/diseased fruits, hard/ brittle fingers, white/creamish pulp colour and hard to peel fruit (Table 5). Similar findings are reported in Akankwasa et al (2016) and Nalunga et al (2015). Small and short fingers were mentioned by all the respondents at all the sites as undesired characteristics.…”

Gender and Trait Preferences for Banana Cultivation and Use in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review1

“…There are regional differences in preferred texture for cooking bananas; for example, farmers in Uganda prefer soft matooke cultivars (Akankwasa et al 2013b(Akankwasa et al , 2016Barekye et al 2013;Nowakunda et al 2000;Nowakunda and Tushemereirwe 2004;Rutherford and Gowen 2003). In some parts of Tanzania, cultivars with a hard texture are preferred (Kibura et al 2010).…”

Seed Security Factors Driving Farmer Decisions on Uptake of Tissue Culture Banana Seed in Central Uganda

“…In accordance, Mulugo et al [33] attest to banana farmers in central Uganda having desirable banana varieties preferred based on taste, aroma, color and texture. Similarly, Akankwasa et al [12] found that banana taste, flavor, texture and color were key in determining consumers' likelihood of purchasing hybrid banana varieties in the four regions of Uganda.…”

“…Previous research [12,49,50] shows the importance of farmer socioeconomic factors or characteristics (sex, age, education, farming experience, farm size, membership to farmer groups, and accessibility to agricultural extension services) on farmer uptake of agricultural technologies. Thus, these factors are incorporated into this study to evaluate whether they are critical in the uptake of TC banana plants.…”

“…However, the use of TC banana plantlets remains low [11], at less than 7% of the total banana production in the country [7]. For instance, a study by Akankwasa et al [12] reveals that only two hundred and fifty mother gardens had been established in Uganda, and 40,000 tissue-cultured plantlets were distributed to banana farmers. Further, results indicate that merely 6% of banana farmers are willing to use TC banana planting material.…”