Browsing by Author "Owuor, George"

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    Assesing farmer perceptions, attitudes and preferences for tissue culture banana technology in Kenya
    (Springer, 2013-01-01) Masinde, J; Obare, Gideon; Owuor, George; Wasilwa, Lusike
    Producers' and consumers' preference for production and sell of different TCB fruits is a critical aspect in marketing and is determined mainly by its technological attributes and farmers, farm and institutional factors. The introduction of a Tissue Culture (TC) banana (Musa spp.) in Kenya is subject to farmer and consumer tastes and preferences and the evaluation is critical in enhanced adoption. The purpose of this study was to show farmers' preferences to TCB and the potential challenges for production and consumption of the product. The paper examines the factors that lead farmers' preferences of TCB technology in the four counties of west Kenya. The primary data was collected through a survey using a semi-structured questionnaire. A total of 330 randomly selected farmers using a stratified multistage sampling method were interviewed. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. A three tire multinomial nested logit analysis was carried out to identify the factors that lead farmers' preferences to TCB cultivar preferences. Based on the analysis, six factors were identified as the reasons for preference of TCB technology. The findings indicated that the farm size, sex of household head, educational level, and family size played a significant role in TCB cultivar preferences. These factors need to be utilized in targeting TCB technology dissemination. However, consumers' preference for banana fruits is a critical aspect of marketing and is determined mainly by its sensorial aspects, among other aspects this need to be done. In addition there is need to have more cooking cultivars in tissue culture technology.
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    Publication
    Determinants of intensity of market participation among banana traders in western Kenya
    (Academic Journals, 2015-07-16) Wanyama, J; Obare, Gideon; Owuor, George; Wasilwa, Lusike
    Traders both wholesaler and retailers play a significant role in banana markets. In Kenya the banana market is not fully developed. This demands targeted studies to assess their performance. This study aims at examining banana traders' intensity of participation in the markets and constraining factors. A survey was conducted in 2013 in four counties. One hundred and ninety traders were randomly selected using multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected on personal, market parameters, and institutional factors. Descriptive statistics and Tobit model were utilized in the analysis. The results showed that traders received market information from multiple sources probable to check on the reliability and accuracy. The results of the Tobit regression showed that the age and sex of traders distance to markets, type of banana and information sources significantly influence the volume of banana fruits handled by traders. Therefore based on the study findings, some of the suggested policy recommendations include; the need to foster development of banana infrastructures and also efforts should be geared towards improving market information sources among traders.