Assessment of allocative efficiency of smallholder tea farmers in south-western Uganda

Tea ranks third after coffee and fish in terms of export value in Uganda’s crop sector. Smallholder productivity and efficiency in Uganda remains a paradox, especially in perennial crops, with past research presenting mixed results on allocative efficiency. The objective of this study was to determine allocative efficiency and its influencing factors among smallholder tea farmers in western-Uganda. A cross-sectional survey dataset was collected from a random sample of 170 tea farmers from Kabale and Kanungu districts in south-western Uganda. The study employed a Stochastic Frontier Approach and the Value of Marginal Product Approach in determining the input elasticities and allocative efficiency levels respectively. Results showed that average allocative efficiency scorers for land, fertiliser, labour and herbicides were 11.17, 1.68, 3.08 and 4.43, respectively; indicating under-utilisation of the inputs. Ordinary Least Squares estimates indicated that allocative efficiency score of fertiliser was positively related to farm size, herbicide type and extension visits. The allocative efficiency score for herbicides was positively influenced by extension access and herbicide type. Similarly, the allocative efficiency score for land was positively influenced by extension access while that of labour was positively influenced by farm size. The results indicate that increasing the scale of tea production in the region is likely to improve productivity and profitability since the average allocative efficiency scores were greater than unity. &nbsp

Consumer preferences for the quality characteristics of sorghum grain in Eastern Uganda: A choice experiment approach

Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) is an important staple food crop for millions of food insecure people in the Semi-Arid Tropics. However, the crop has not been fully exploited due to undesirable consumer characteristics. The objective of this study was to identify quality characteristics that consumers of sorghum prefer so as to increase its consumption in Uganda. Quality in this study was evaluated based on four sensory characteristics of atapa (atapa is a local name for sorghum paste in Eastern Uganda): colour, aroma, taste and texture; and grain size. A choice experiment was conducted to analyse consumer preferences for quality characteristics of atapa. The discrete choices obtained from the choice experiment were analysed using Mixed Logit models fitted in preference- and willingness to pay-space. Results revealed that sweet taste, good aroma, elastic texture and big grain size had positive effects on the consumer preference. In terms of magnitude, sweet taste had the largest effect on consumer preference followed by aroma. Grain size was important because consumers believed that the bigger the size, the more the flour that would be obtained after milling. None of the colours was found to be important; instead respondents associate the existing colours of different varieties with their known texture, taste and aroma. There were also significant positive implicit prices for the preferred (non-colour) attributes, implying that consumers were willing to pay a price premium for sweet taste, good aroma, elastic texture and big grain size. The highest premium would be paid for sweet taste (US$0.69) followed by good aroma (US$ 0.39). We also evaluated five hypothetical varieties (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) based on the implicit prices of the individual attributes that constitute the varieties. We found out that varieties with a good taste, good aroma, elastic texture and big grain size had larger total willingness to pay values than those missing any of these attributes. We conclude that sweet taste and aroma and elastic texture are the most important quality attributes of atapa. Thus, we recommend to sorghum breeders to consider these quality attributes in their breeding programmes if consumption of sorghum-based foods is to increase.Le sorgho ( Sorghum bicolor ) est une culture vivri\ue8re de base importante pour des millions de personnes en situation d\u2019ins\ue9curit\ue9 alimentaire dans les r\ue9gions tropicales semi-arides. Cependant, la culture n\u2019a pas \ue9t\ue9 pleinement exploit\ue9e en raison de caract\ue9ristiques ind\ue9sirables des consommateurs de sorgho. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019identifier les caract\ue9ristiques de qualit\ue9 que les consommateurs de sorgho pr\ue9f\ue8rent afin d\u2019augmenter sa consommation en Ouganda. La qualit\ue9 dans cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9e sur la base de quatre caract\ue9ristiques sensorielles de l\u2019atapa (atapa est un nom local pour la p\ue2te de sorgho dans l\u2019Est de l\u2019Ouganda)\ua0: la couleur, l\u2019ar\uf4me, le go\ufbt et la texture\ua0; et la taille des grains. Une exp\ue9rience de choix a \ue9t\ue9 men\ue9e pour analyser les pr\ue9f\ue9rences des consommateurs pour les caract\ue9ristiques de qualit\ue9 de l\u2019atapa. Les choix discrets obtenus \ue0 partir de l\u2019exp\ue9rience de choix ont \ue9t\ue9 analys\ue9s \ue0 l\u2019aide de mod\ue8les logit mixtes ajust\ue9s dans l\u2019espace de pr\ue9f\ue9rence et de volont\ue9 de payer. Les r\ue9sultats ont r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 qu\u2019un go\ufbt sucr\ue9, un bon ar\uf4me, une texture \ue9lastique et une grosse granulom\ue9trie avaient des effets positifs sur la pr\ue9f\ue9rence du consommateur. En termes d\u2019amplitude, le go\ufbt sucr\ue9 a eu le plus grand effet sur les pr\ue9f\ue9rences des consommateurs, suivi de l\u2019ar\uf4me. La taille des grains \ue9tait importante parce que les consommateurs pensaient que plus la taille \ue9tait grande, plus la farine qu\u2019on obtiendrait apr\ue8s la mouture \ue9tait importante. Aucune des couleurs n\u2019a \ue9t\ue9 jug\ue9e importante; au lieu de cela, les r\ue9pondants associent les couleurs existantes des diff\ue9rentes vari\ue9t\ue9s \ue0 leur texture, leur go\ufbt et leur ar\uf4me connus. Il y avait \ue9galement des prix implicites positifs significatifs pour les attributs pr\ue9f\ue9r\ue9s (non color\ue9s), impliquant que les consommateurs \ue9taient pr\ueats \ue0 payer un prix plus \ue9lev\ue9 pour un go\ufbt sucr\ue9, un bon ar\uf4me, une texture \ue9lastique et une grosse granulom\ue9trie. La prime la plus \ue9lev\ue9e serait pay\ue9e pour le go\ufbt sucr\ue9 (0,69 US) suivi d\u2019un bon ar\uf4me (0,39 US). Nous avons \ue9galement \ue9valu\ue9 cinq vari\ue9t\ue9s hypoth\ue9tiques (1, 2, 3, 4 et 5) sur la base des prix implicites des attributs individuels qui constituent les vari\ue9t\ue9s. Nous avons d\ue9couvert que les vari\ue9t\ue9s avec un bon go\ufbt, un bon ar\uf4me, une texture \ue9lastique et une grosse taille de grain avaient des valeurs totales de consentement \ue0 payer plus \ue9lev\ue9es que celles qui ne manquaient aucun de ces attributs. Nous concluons que le go\ufbt et l\u2019ar\uf4me sucr\ue9s et la texture \ue9lastique sont les attributs de qualit\ue9 les plus importants de l\u2019atapa. Ainsi, nous recommandons aux s\ue9lectionneurs de sorgho de consid\ue9rer ces attributs de qualit\ue9 dans leurs programmes de s\ue9lection si la consommation d\u2019aliments \ue0 base de sorgho doit augmenter

ASSESSING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES FOR SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS IN UGANDA

The debate on whether climate change will impact on peoples\u2019 livelihoods and, hence, the need to act is essentially over and has instead shifted to the development of strategies needed by different regions and countries to adapt to climate change effects. However, there is still scanty information necessary to ably address climate change related issues. There is a considerable knowledge gap with respect to climate change impact, vulnerability and adaptation to increased climate variability and change. In this paper, using the trade off analysis model, the impact of climate change on peoples\u2019 livelihoods and possible adaptation strategies to increase the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems in three regions of Uganda (central, Masaka and southwest) are analysed. The results show that 70-97% of households will be adversely affected by climate change in Uganda. The southwest will be most affected due to smaller farm sizes and limited livelihood alternatives. There will be no positive gains from encroaching on swamps, which is one of the reported adaptation strategies to climate related stresses. Improving productivity of important crops (bananas for southwest, and sweet potatoes and bananas for central region), in addition to adoption of grade cattle will likely be a better adaptation strategy for climate change.Le d\ue9bat sur le fait que le changement climatique pourra affecter le mode de vie des populations et, ainsi la n\ue9cessit\ue9 d\u2019agir est arriv\ue9 et consiste \ue0 d\ue9velopper des strat\ue9gies en rapport avec les besoins de diff\ue9rentes r\ue9gions et pays pour l\u2019adaptation aux effets du changement climatique. Cependant, les informations disponibles sont encore insuffisantes afin d\u2019adresser correctement les probl\ue8mes y relatifs. Il existe tant de lacunes sur les connaissances en rapport avec les impacts du changement climatique, la vuln\ue9rabilit\ue9 et l\u2019adaptation \ue0 la variabilit\ue9 et changement climatique accrus. En utilisant le mod\ue8le du trade off analysis, cet article a analys\ue9 l\u2019impact du changement climatique sur le mode de vie des populations et des strat\ue9gies possibles d\u2019adaptation, afin d\u2019am\ue9liorer la r\ue9silience et la durabilit\ue9 des syst\ue8mes culturaux dans les trois r\ue9gions de l\u2019Ouganda (Centre, Masaka et sud- ouest). Les r\ue9sultats montrent que 70-97% des m\ue9nages seront touch\ue9s par des effets du changement climatique en Ouganda. Le sud-ouest sera le plus affect\ue9 par suite de tailles petites de ses exploitations et son mode de vie \ue0 moyens alternatifs limit\ue9s. L\u2019invasion des marais ne rapportera aucun gain positif qui est une des strat\ue9gies d\u2019adaptation indiqu\ue9es au stress climatique relatif. L\u2019am\ue9lioration de la productivit\ue9 des cultures importantes (bananiers au Sud-ouest, et les patates douces et le bananier dans la r\ue9gion centrale) en plus de l\u2019adoption des vaches am\ue9lior\ue9es pourra serait une meilleur strat\ue9gie d\u2019adaptation au changement climatique

Efficiency and possibilities for Arabica coffee-banana management systems switching in the Mt. Elgon landscape of Uganda

Sustainably intensifying rural agricultural systems is now a development goal that has gained momentum in the recent decades due to a rapidly growing population and feeds directly into the Sustainable Development Goals of ending poverty and hunger. By 2050, the world will be inhabited by 10 billion people, 68% of whom will be city dwellers which will pose serious food and livelihoods security threats to millions of people, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to analyse technical efficiency of four production systems in Arabica coffee-banana farming system of the Mt. Elgon in Uganda and assesses possibilities for switching from one system to another. The study was motivated by the notion that smallholder farmers do not easily adopt new systems because of opportunity costs related to input substitution, input and/or efficiency reduction and systems redesigning. We estimated a production function to measure technical efficiency and ordered the intensification pathways to create a Technical Efficiency (TE) gradient. An ordered logit model was then estimated to determine the factors influencing farmers to switch among systems, by adopting one or more following a TE gradient. Results showed that farmers produced 50% of the maximum possible Arabica coffee output, indicating huge gaps between actual and potential yields. Use of fertiliser for the lowest efficiency. Low-input-low-output pathway and improved coffee genotypes, manure and labour intensification for the higher technical efficiency clusters such as conventional and mild agroecological would also significantly increase the chances of switching from low to highly efficient and sustainable Arabica coffee production systems in the Mt. Elgon watershed of Uganda.L\u2019intensification durable des syst\ue8mes agricoles ruraux est un objectif de d\ue9veloppement durable qui a\ua0\ue9t\ue9 pris\ua0en compte pour mettre fin \ue0 la pauvret\ue9 et la faim dans une population en croissance rapide. Le monde sera habit\ue9 par 10 milliards de personnes, dont 68% seront des citadins en 2050, ce qui posera de graves menaces \ue0 la s\ue9curit\ue9 alimentaire et des moyens de subsistance de millions de personnes, en particulier en Afrique Sub-Saharienne. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019analyser l\u2019efficacit\ue9 de technique de quatre syst\ue8mes de production dans le syst\ue8me de culture caf\ue9-banane Arabica du mont Elgon en Ouganda et \ue9value les possibilit\ue9s de passer d\u2019un syst\ue8me \ue0 un autre. L\u2019\ue9tude \ue9tait motiv\ue9e par l\u2019id\ue9e que les petits exploitants agricoles n\u2019adoptent pas facilement de nouveaux syst\ue8mes en raison des co\ufbts d\u2019opportunit\ue9 li\ue9s \ue0 la substitution des intrants, la r\ue9duction des intrants et / ou de l\u2019efficacit\ue9 et la refonte des syst\ue8mes. Nous avons estim\ue9 une fonction de production pour mesurer l\u2019efficacit\ue9 de technique et nous avons ordonn\ue9 les voies d\u2019intensification pour cr\ue9er un gradient l\u2019efficacit\ue9 de technique (TE). Un mod\ue8le logit ordonn\ue9 a ensuite \ue9t\ue9 estim\ue9 pour d\ue9terminer les facteurs qui poussent les agriculteurs \ue0 basculer entre les syst\ue8mes, en adoptant un ou plusieurs suivant un gradient TE. Les r\ue9sultats ont montr\ue9 que les agriculteurs produisaient 50% de la production maximale possible de caf\ue9 Arabica, indiquant d\u2019\ue9normes \ue9carts entre les rendements r\ue9els et potentiels. Utilisation d\u2019engrais pour une efficacit\ue9 minimale. Une fili\ue8re \ue0 faibles intrants et \ue0 faible rendement et des g\ue9notypes de caf\ue9 am\ue9lior\ue9s, du fumier et une intensification de la main-d\u2019\u153uvre pour les grappes \ue0 plus haute efficacit\ue9 de technique telles que l\u2019agro\ue9cologie conventionnelle et douce augmenteraient \ue9galement consid\ue9rablement les chances de passer de syst\ue8mes de production de caf\ue9 Arabica faibles \ue0 tr\ue8s efficaces et durables dans le bassin versant du Mont Elgon en Ouganda

Characterization of Historical Seasonal and Annual Rainfall and Temperature Trends in Selected Climatological Homogenous Rainfall Zones of Uganda

There is general lack of scientific consensus on the trend and distribution of annual and seasonal rainfall and temperature in Uganda. This study used both observational and AgMerra rainfall and temperature data for the period 1980-2010 to characterize the trend and variability in seasonal and annual rainfall, maximum and minimum temperatures across 12 different rainfall homogenous zones (K, H, ME, L, J, F, MW, D, E, A1, A2, and I) of Uganda. Trends analysis was done using regression method, while coefficient of variation and ANOVA techniques were used to analyze variability. The results show statistically significant increasing trends (P ≤ 0.05) in annual rainfall amount in zone A1 and a declining trend for zone K (P<0.05)

Market access and agricultural production : the case of banana production in Uganda

Keywords: Smallholder poor farmers, market access, bananas, productivity, efficiency, labour demand, labour supply,Uganda.This study investigates the effects of factor and commodity markets on the development of the banana sub-sector in central and southwesternUganda.&nbsp;The study analyses smallholder household response to production constraints (crop pests and diseases, soil constraints) and development of product markets and off-farm employment opportunities.&nbsp;The study was carried out in central region, Masaka and southwest, which have divergent production constraints and opportunities.&nbsp;Various analytical tools were employed in this study.&nbsp;Cost benefit analysis was used to assess the competitiveness of banana production versus other crop enterprises.&nbsp;The stochastic production frontier was used to analyze the technical and productive efficiency of banana farmers.&nbsp;Production functions were estimated for the important crops to analyze the allocative efficiency of farmers in each study region.&nbsp;Finally, labour supply and demand functions were estimated to determine the factors that influence labour allocation decisions and to assess the farmers' response to changes in economic conditions.&nbsp;A multinomial logit model was fitted to identify factors that influence farmers' labour supply decisions between farm and off-farm work.&nbsp;Results for the cost benefit analysis show that banana is the most profitable of all the crops grown, in terms of gross margin.&nbsp;However, imperfections in labour and food markets cause farmers in the central region to allocate more land and labour to the less profitable annual crops (sweet potatoes, maize and cassava) but are more satisfying in terms of household food requirements.&nbsp;High food prices and limitations in access to the off-farm labour market induce farmers to rely on own farm production for their household food needs.&nbsp;Results from the technical efficiency analysis show that banana farmers in Uganda are technically inefficient, and output can be increased by 30 in the southwest and 58% in the central region.&nbsp;Improved roads, formal education and access to credit are some of the factors that improve technical efficiency.&nbsp;Agricultural extension visits significantly increases banana productivity in the southwest.&nbsp;Results confirm that pest (banana weevil) and disease (Sigatoka) infestation contribute to the low banana production in the central region.&nbsp;Farm size is positively related to farm productivity.&nbsp;However, production is more efficient on smaller plots (decreasing returns to scale).&nbsp;The low productivity on small farms puts to question the sustainability of smallholder agriculture, given the imperfections in labour and food markets and limited access to purchased inputs.&nbsp;Analysis of the marginal products of labour shows that farmers are allocatively inefficient and production and consumption decisions are nonseparable.&nbsp;Findings from labour supply analysis show that farmers respond positively to changes in shadow wage rates and negatively to changes in shadow income.&nbsp;This implies that the farmers are responsive to economic incentives.&nbsp;Access to off-farm opportunities takes away the most productive labour from farm production.&nbsp;Thus improved road access and high wage rates are associated with lower farm labour productivity and lower labour supply.&nbsp;Education and road access have a positive effect on time allocated to off-farm activities while farm size is negatively related to work hours in off-farm activities.&nbsp;The study reveals that policies that promote income diversification into off-farm activities can contribute to sustained development in the rural sector.&nbsp;In particular, policies that reduce transaction costs are likely to improve productivity and efficiency in both the off-farm sector and farm sector.&nbsp;Investment in road infrastructure, education and financial institutions that are suited to smallholder production needs could help in alleviating the bottlenecks in the labour, food and financial markets, and improve resource allocation between the farm and nonfarm sectors

Banana (Musa spp.) Production Characteristics and Performance in Uganda

The highland cooking banana (Musa spp., AAA-EA genome) is the most important crop in the East African Great Lakes region. In Uganda, production has expanded and productivity increased in the country’s southwest and declined in the Central region where the crop has traditional roots. Analyzing crop characteristics and performance was imperative to elucidate the factors that have contributed to this change. Performance analysis helps to inform possible investment policies and strategies in the banana subsector for both regions. The study was carried out in central and southwest regions of the country, which have divergent production constraints and opportunities. Changes in economic conditions appear to have contributed to the shift in banana production from the central to the southwest. Specifically, increase in nonfarm-farm income in the central region reduced farmers’ need for cash income generated from farm production. On the other hand, high food prices increased farmers’ need to rely on own farm production for household needs. There was a shift in resource allocation in favor of crops most suited to satisfying household food needs (e.g., sweet potato (Lpomoea batatas), cassava (Manihot esculenta) and beans (Phaseolus spp.) against crops that appear to be more profitable (e.g., bananas) when valued at farm-gate prices. In the southwest, farmers adopted technologies and crop activities that were relatively more labor demanding but more rewarding in terms of cash benefits. Specifically, bananas were adopted because they satisfied both the cash needs and food requirements of the farmers. However, a significant proportion of land (not suited to banana production) in the southwest (15.4%) is committed to finger millet (Eleusine coracana) production to supplement bananas in terms of food security

Determinant of Smallholder Farmer Labor Allocation Decisions in Uganda

Although there is growing evidence of the increasing role of nonfarm activities in rural livelihoods, there is still relatively little empirical evidence regarding the factors that influence smallholder farmers to diversify into nonfarm activities. This study analyses the factors that influence household labor allocation decisions and demand for farm labor in Uganda. Data were collected from 660 households in three banana-based production zones with divergent production constraints and opportunities. The determinants of demand for hired labor were estimated with the Tobit model. Linear regression was used to estimate reduced-form equations for the time-allocation decisions of household members. Our findings show that household members respond positively to increases in wages, suggesting that they respond to economic incentives. Increased wage rates negatively affect the use of hired labor, but household size has no effect on the use of hired labor, indicating that the economic rationing of labor hiring has more to do with the market wage than family size or composition. Education and road access have positive effects on the amount of time allocated to off-farm activities. Access to off-farm opportunities, however, takes away the most productive labor from farm production. These findings suggest that investment in road infrastructure and education suited to smallholder production needs could help alleviate bottlenecks in labor markets and improve resource allocation between farm and nonfarm sectors

Market access, agricultural productivity and allocative efficiency in the banana sector of Uganda

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Geographic shifts in highland cooking banana (Musa, group AAA EA) production in Uganda: site and data summaries

The highland green cooking banana (Musa spp. Type AAA-EA) is the most important staple crop in southern Uganda and throughout the East African Great Lakes Region. The crop is a key component in both the food security and agricultural sustainability of the region