An Economic Assessment of Banana Genetic Improvement and ...

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CHAPTER 5
Characteristics of Banana-Growing
Households and Banana Cultivars
in Uganda and Tanzania
Svetlana Edmeades, Melinda Smale, Enoch Mutebi Kikulwe,
Jackson M. Nkuba, and Mgenzi Said Ramadhan Byabachwezi
A
first stage of data analysis confirmed few statistical differences between exposed and
nonexposed areas in the underlying social and demographic characteristics of households
and the physical characteristics of their farms. This result validates the sample
design (Chapter 2). In this chapter, selected characteristics of banana-growing households in
Uganda and Tanzania are analyzed by elevation, and uses of new banana cultivars, practices,
and planting material systems are summarized by exposure and elevation. 1 In general, means,
frequencies, or proportions only are reported here, weighted by the inverse probability of
selection.
Banana-Growing Households
Household demographic characteristics in the Lake Victoria region of Uganda and Tanzania
are shown in Table 5.1. Household heads averaged 45 years of age with roughly 6 years of education
in Uganda, and 49 years of age with 7 years of education in Tanzania. Though the age
of the household head and mean years in school are statistically different between the highland
and lowland areas of Uganda, the magnitudes of the differences are not meaningful. Roughly
a quarter of household heads are reported to be women, with a smaller percentage in highelevation
areas in Uganda, and a comparable pattern in Tanzania. In Tanzania, gender of the
household head is the only major demographic characteristic that differs statistically by elevation.
Clearly, longer-term absence of men is more prevalent in the lowland areas.