Assessment of the Determinants of Environmental Efficiency of Using Biorationals in Banana Pest Management in the Lake Victoria Crescent, Uganda.

Abstract:

This research investigated the factors which influence the environmental efficiency of biorationals used in managing banana pests in the Lake Victoria Crescent region of Uganda. Participants were selected using the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling technique. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics in conjunction with Categorical Regression utilizing Least Absolute Shrinkage Selection Operator. The results obtained indicated that education level, social networks, land ownership, farming experience, type of planting materials, and presence of livestock significantly impacted environmental efficiency. Notably, farmers lacking formal education rated environmental efficiency higher than those with mid formal education, while a greater number of years in farming correlated negatively with efficiency ratings. Conversely, contributions to environmental efficiency were positively linked to the “Munomukabi” social network and leasehold land ownership, whereas intercropping banana with coffee had negative quantifications on these assessments. The study concluded that informal environments, especially those involving farmers without formal education and strong social networks, are crucial in pest management. Farmers with leasehold land with limited occupancy exhibited higher ratings of environmental efficiency compared to those with more secure types of land ownership. Additionally, older farmers tended to show less innovation and favoured practices that required less labour.