Browsing by Author "Kikulwe, Enoch M."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Attitudes, perceptions, and trust. Insights from a consumer survey regarding genetically modified banana in Uganda
    (Appetite, 2011) Kikulwe, Enoch M.; Wesseler, Justus; Falck-Zepeda, Jose
    Genetically modified (GM) crops and food are still controversial. This paper analyzes consumers’ perceptions and institutional awareness and trust toward GM banana regulation in Uganda. Results are based on a study conducted among 421 banana-consuming households between July and August 2007. Results show a high willingness to purchase GM banana among consumers. An explanatory factor analysis is conducted to identify the perceptions toward genetic modification. The identified factors are used in a cluster analysis that grouped consumers into segments of GM skepticism, government trust, health safety concern, and food and environmental safety concern. Socioeconomic characteristics differed significantly across segments. Consumer characteristics and perception factors influence consumers’ willingness to purchase GM banana. The institutional awareness and trust varied significantly across segments as well. The findings would be essential to policy makers when designing risk-communication strategies targeting different consumer segments to ensure proper discussion and addressing potential concerns about GM technology.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Management of Banana Xanthomonas Wilt: Evidence from Impact of Adoption of Cultural Control Practices in Uganda
    (Sustainability, 2019) Kikulwe, Enoch M.; Lule Kyanjo, Joseph; Kato, Edward; Ssali, Reuben T.; Erima, Rockefeller; Mpiira, Samuel; Ocimati, Walter; Tinzaara, William; Kubiriba, Jerome; Gotor, Elisabetta; Stoian, Dietmar; Karamura, Eldad
    Banana XanthomonasWilt (BXW) is an important emerging and non-curable infectious plant pathogen in sub-Saharan Africa that can cause up to 100% yield loss, negatively impacting sustainable access to food and income to more than 100 million banana farmers. This study disentangles adopters into partial and full adopters to investigate the factors that are relevant to sustain the adoption process of BXW control practices and quantifies the impact of adopting the practices. Data from a randomly selected sample of 1200 banana farmers in Uganda where the disease is endemic was used. A multinomial logit model was used to determine the factors a ecting adoption of control practices and augmented inverse probability weighting was employed to estimate the impacts of adoption on banana productivity and sales. Results show that training a woman farmer and having diverse sources of information about BXW control practices increased adoption of the control practices and reduced the disease incidences. Farmers who adopted all the recommended control practices achieved significantly the highest values of banana production and sales. We conclude that improving information access through farmers’ preferred communication channels, having women-inclusive trainings, and a combination of cultural practices are e ective ways for sustaining adoption of the control practices.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Mobile Money, Smallholder Farmers, and Household Welfare in Kenya
    (PloS one, 2014) Kikulwe, Enoch M.; Fischer, Elisabeth; Qaim, Matin
    The use of mobile phones has increased rapidly in many developing countries, including in rural areas. Besides reducing the costs of communication and improving access to information, mobile phones are an enabling technology for other innovations. One important example are mobile phone based money transfers, which could be very relevant for the rural poor, who are often underserved by the formal banking system. We analyze impacts of mobile money technology on the welfare of smallholder farm households in Kenya. Using panel survey data and regression models we show that mobile money use has a positive impact on household income. One important pathway is through remittances received from relatives and friends. Such remittances contribute to income directly, but they also help to reduce risk and liquidity constraints, thus promoting agricultural commercialization. Mobile money users apply more purchased farm inputs, market a larger proportion of their output, and have higher profits than non-users of this technology. These results suggest that mobile money can help to overcome some of the important smallholder market access constraints that obstruct rural development and poverty reduction.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Understanding the Consequences of Changes in the Production Frontiers for Roots, Tubers and Bananas
    (Global food security, 2019) Petsakos, Athanasios; Prager, Steven D.; Gonzalez, Carlos Eduardo; Gama, Arthur Chibwana; Sulser, Timothy B.; Gbegbelegbe, Sika; Kikulwe, Enoch M.; Hareau, Guy
    The widely recognized role of roots, tubers and bananas (RT&Bs) in achieving food security and providing income opportunities in the world’s poorest regions will be challenged by socioeconomic and climate related drivers. These will affect demand and production patterns and increase pressure on farming systems. Foresight results presented in this paper show that the importance of RT&B crops for food security will likely increase by 2050 despite these challenges. Furthermore, investments targeted at yield growth appear to be more effective than marketing improvements in alleviating production constraints and in strengthening the role of RT&B crops in future food systems.