Improving Banana Productivity: An Analysis of Socio-Economic Factors in Dilla and Surrounding Districts

Banana is one of the most important fruit crops grown in Ethiopia and it is mainly used as source of food and cash for human consumption, and purposes, banana leaves, and damaged banana fruits for animal feed despite the introduced technologies did not widely accepted by farmers, particularly in the study areas. The study was undertaken in the selected areas such as dilla zuria, dara and abya districts. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the status of adoption of improved banana cultivars and to determine factors that affect the adoption of improved banana cultivars in the agro-forestry farming system in the study area. For this research two-stage sampling procedure was employed to select the sample respondents. Finally, 120 sample respondents were selected from the sampling frame based on probability proportional to size random sampling method. In this study, data were obtained from sample respondents through personal interview schedule and from group and individual discussions, as well as the researcher ' s personal observations. Secondary data were collected from different related literatures. Data were analyzed, and presented quantitatively using different statistical methods such as percentage, frequency, tabulation, chi-square (for dummy/discrete variables) and (t-test for continuous variables). Binary logit econometrics models to estimate the effects of hypothesized independent variables they have on dependent variables, probability and status of adoption. Adopter and non-adopter differed significantly in some demographic, socioeconomic and institutional variables. The result of the model revealed that the explanatory variables farm size, total livestock unit, input availability, training participation were statistically significant and positively influenced adoption of improved banana technology. The result from this survey suggests that establishment integrated development both for crop and livestock, strengthening implementation of family planning intervention and participatory research on economically optimum and environmentally sound options, promoting sustainable agricultural intensification system, and providing task oriented training, improvement of input delivery and other support system.