Evaluation of Banana Bacterial Wilt Management in Ntungamo Sub County, Ntungamo District

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate BBW management in Ntungamo sub county Ntungamo district. Banana bacterial wilt (BBW) is a vascular disease that results in permanent wiltingand eventual death of the plant. The general objective was to assess the effectiveness of banana bacterial wilt management practices used by farmers to manage BBW in Ntungamo sub county. Socio-demographic data was collected and BBW management assessed through questionnaires, interviews and observation. Eighty farmers from four parishes in Ntungamo Sub-county were randomly sampled and eight key informants were purposively sampled and data was analysed. Results revealed that those farmers who experienced BBW mostly practiced removing infected plants at first sight (42.9) and disinfecting tools with jik was the list practiced at 2.4%. However, it was further revealed that farmers combined at least three of the control strategies in order for them to be effective. According to the study findings, most of the farmers reported that the strategies were fairly effective (47%). It was recommended that the capacity of various stakeholders like extension workers, religious leaders among others should be built more to enable them easily detect and provide information to the general public on how to prevent and manage BBW. Also there is need for the government to implement policies to enable microfinance institutions to provide credit to farmers. This will enable farmers to buy chemicals like jik for sterilizing the tools and also to buy tools like pangas and hoes, hence avoiding sharing of tools which will reduce on the disease spread.

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