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.