Factors affecting pineapple production:A case of smallholder farmers in Kayunga district
Abstract
Pineapple (Ananas cosmos) is a horticultural crop grown in Africa and Uganda in the central
region of Mukono, Kayunga, Luwero, and Masaka. Pineapple is produced exclusively as a
small-holder crop, either as a sole crop or an intercrop with bananas. In these areas, farmers
grow pineapple as a major source of cash and for a variety of other purposes including home
consumption and processing into juices as well as solar drying for exports. The study aimed at
assessing the factors that affect pineapple production in Kayunga district. The objectives of the
study were; to characterize the smallholder pineapple farmers in Kayunga district and to
determine the factors that affect pineapple production among smallholder farmers in Kayunga
district. A total of 120 pineapple farmers were randomly selected from different parishes in
Kangulumira sub-county. The data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and
econometric techniques. Descriptive statistics revealed that the majority (90%) of the
respondents were males. The average years of schooling of the respondents were 7.125 years
while the average age of the respondents were 40.125 years. Majority of the respondents
(95.83%) plant first grade pineapple variety, and mainly sell their pineapple produces to
middlemen, which fetches them low prices.
Regression results showed that the significant factors that affect pineapple production include
access to credit, gender of the farmer, grade of pineapple grown and off farm income.
Education, household size, farmer’s experience, age, and farmer group do not affect pineapple
production. Based on the findings, the study recommends the increased use of cheap
agricultural credit or credit without interest rates to farmers to increase pineapple production.
The study also recommends a need for more extension services such as interventions and
education facilities to train farmers on modern and urban farming techniques equipping them
with knowledge and information that help improve their production levels. It also recommends
farmer to have more to access the unproductive land which can be utilized for pineapple
growing which in turn increase pineapple production as it was observed that farmers were
operating on small land sizes yet the study showed land size under production significantly
affects production levels.