Socio-Economic Factors and their Influence in Adoption of Agricultural Technologies Under Subsistence Economy; A Case of Tissue Culture Banana in Uganda

Uptake of improved agricultural technologies like banana tissue culture still remains low despite the efforts that have been put in place to enhance its adoption. A survey was carried out on 115 smallholder farmers in central Uganda to establish the influence of various socio-economic factors on the adoption of tissue culture banana between January and July 2018. Findings from the study revealed that respondents’ main occupation (P = 0.028), market accessibility (P = 0.006) and proximity to the source of planting materials (P = 0.000) were the major drivers to adoption of tissue culture banana. The study thus recommended the establishment of regional distribution centres for tissue culture banana plantlets, increased investment in extension in order to strengthen the farmer-researcher linkage and increased market access.