Gender differences in banana productivity in Tanzania

Banana is one of the key crops produced by farmers in Tanzania. The productivity of bananas among smallholder farmers is very low. One of the core reasons for this lower agricultural productivity in Tanzania is gender inequality in production. This study aimed to establish gender productivity differ...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hildo Ladislaus Mrema, Razack Bakari Lokina, Onesmo Selejio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ERRCD Forum 2024-10-01
Series:Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/ijrcs/article/view/1295
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841554145233862656
author Hildo Ladislaus Mrema
Razack Bakari Lokina
Onesmo Selejio
author_facet Hildo Ladislaus Mrema
Razack Bakari Lokina
Onesmo Selejio
author_sort Hildo Ladislaus Mrema
collection DOAJ
description Banana is one of the key crops produced by farmers in Tanzania. The productivity of bananas among smallholder farmers is very low. One of the core reasons for this lower agricultural productivity in Tanzania is gender inequality in production. This study aimed to establish gender productivity differences in banana production in Tanzania. The study used panel data and a correlated random effects (CRE) model to determine these differences. It finds a 19% difference in banana productivity in favour of male managers, highlighting their (plot managers') characteristics, input use, and banana plot characteristics. The area of banana cultivation by zones, namely Lake, Northern, Southern Highlands, and Eastern zones, was found to increase banana productivity. The use of organic fertiliser and receiving government extension services have a positive influence on banana productivity. On the other hand, being a female manager, an increase in banana plot area, and an increase in the usage of pesticides have a detrimental effect on banana productivity. The findings of this study suggest the need for proper banana plot management, farmer training on skills such as the timing and amount of inputs that can be applied to banana plots sustainably, and the availability of extension services to all plot managers, regardless of their gender. Additionally, the study advocates for the sustainable use of pesticides by adopting good agricultural practices like Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and using appropriate planting materials that are disease-resistant.
format Article
id doaj-art-8cf7e2a29ed8404185f791d8faa20be3
institution Kabale University
issn 2710-2572
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher ERRCD Forum
record_format Article
series Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies
spelling doaj-art-8cf7e2a29ed8404185f791d8faa20be32025-01-08T19:05:02ZengERRCD ForumInterdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies2710-25722024-10-01611510.38140/ijrcs-2024.vol6.161259Gender differences in banana productivity in TanzaniaHildo Ladislaus Mrema0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8357-0716Razack Bakari Lokina1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7180-5541Onesmo Selejio2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7050-2028Institute of Accountancy Arusha, TanzaniaUniversity of Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaUniversity of Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaBanana is one of the key crops produced by farmers in Tanzania. The productivity of bananas among smallholder farmers is very low. One of the core reasons for this lower agricultural productivity in Tanzania is gender inequality in production. This study aimed to establish gender productivity differences in banana production in Tanzania. The study used panel data and a correlated random effects (CRE) model to determine these differences. It finds a 19% difference in banana productivity in favour of male managers, highlighting their (plot managers') characteristics, input use, and banana plot characteristics. The area of banana cultivation by zones, namely Lake, Northern, Southern Highlands, and Eastern zones, was found to increase banana productivity. The use of organic fertiliser and receiving government extension services have a positive influence on banana productivity. On the other hand, being a female manager, an increase in banana plot area, and an increase in the usage of pesticides have a detrimental effect on banana productivity. The findings of this study suggest the need for proper banana plot management, farmer training on skills such as the timing and amount of inputs that can be applied to banana plots sustainably, and the availability of extension services to all plot managers, regardless of their gender. Additionally, the study advocates for the sustainable use of pesticides by adopting good agricultural practices like Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and using appropriate planting materials that are disease-resistant.https://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/ijrcs/article/view/1295gender differences bananaproductivity differencespanel data correlated random effect
spellingShingle Hildo Ladislaus Mrema
Razack Bakari Lokina
Onesmo Selejio
Gender differences in banana productivity in Tanzania
Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies
gender differences
banana
productivity differences
panel data
correlated random effect
title Gender differences in banana productivity in Tanzania
title_full Gender differences in banana productivity in Tanzania
title_fullStr Gender differences in banana productivity in Tanzania
title_full_unstemmed Gender differences in banana productivity in Tanzania
title_short Gender differences in banana productivity in Tanzania
title_sort gender differences in banana productivity in tanzania
topic gender differences
banana
productivity differences
panel data
correlated random effect
url https://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/ijrcs/article/view/1295
work_keys_str_mv AT hildoladislausmrema genderdifferencesinbananaproductivityintanzania
AT razackbakarilokina genderdifferencesinbananaproductivityintanzania
AT onesmoselejio genderdifferencesinbananaproductivityintanzania