Factors Influencing Adoption of Tissue Culture Banana in Western Kenya

The objective of the study was to assess the factors influencing the likelihood of adoption and intensity of adoption of Tissue culture banana in four counties of West Kenya. The study utilized cross-section data to analyze the effect of farmers’ demographic, socioeconomic and institutional setting, market access and physical attributes on the probability and intensity of TCB adoption. A double hurdle model was fitted on the data collected from randomly selected 330 farmers between July 2011 and November 2011. Secondary data were also used to complement the primary data. The study depicted relatively low adoption of TCB was 32% % of total sampled size. The results of the study provided empirical evidence of a significant influence on likelihood TCB adoption were availability of TCB planting material, proportion of banana income to the total farm income, per capita household expenditure and the location of the farmer in Kisii County, while those that significantly influenced the intensity of TCB adoption were. occupation of farmers, occupation of farmers, family size, labour source, farm acreage, farm fertility status, availability/access of TCB plantlets to farmers, distance to banana market, use of manure in planting bananas, agricultural extension services, average index technology attributes, bundumy was positive (sugarcane zone). Therefore, the results of the study suggest that the probability of adoption and intensity of use of TCB should be enhanced by taking cognizance of these variables in order to meet the priority needs of smallholder farmers who were target group and to alleviate the food shortage problem in the country in general and in the study area in particular. Opening up more TCB multiplication centres and widening the technology to other banana cultivars would enhance the impact of the technology.