Promoting the Adoption of Tissue Culture Banana through Increased Market Participation by Small Holder farmers in Kenya
Abstract
The objective of the study was to evaluate the commercial drivers of tissue culture banana adoption by
farmers in Kenya. While farmers adopt new technologies due to their inherent benefits, the adoption of the
new Tissue Culture Banana which was high in the 1990s is no longer increasing and banana production has
stagnated. This pattern has necessitated carrying out this study with a view to unravel the contribution of
market participation of tissue culture banana farmers in Kenya. We adopted a descriptive document review
on tissue culture banana with the aim of identifying potential policy options for improved uptake of tissue
culture banana in Kenya. The results revealed that matching farmers perception towards TCB technology, its
attributes and access to markets enhanced adoption. Most farmers adopting tissue culture bananas have small
pieces of land, didi not earn much from the TCB produce yet the technology had a short payback period with
higher returns. The study also found that farmer age contributed to yield stagnation, low market participation
and hence low returns relative to the opportunity cost of other competing enterprises. The study concluded
that improved adoption of bananas would be promoted through improved market participation for food
access, use of credit and engaging the younger tech-savvy generation on the benefits of the technology for
better incomes and improved livelihoods.
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