Browsing by Author "Subert, M. P."

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Perceptions of enhanced freshness formulation technologies and adoption decisions among smallholder banana farmers in Morogoro, Tanzania
(Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2017) Subert, M. P.
This study identifies the perceptions and adoption decisions of Enhanced Freshness Formulation (EFF) technologies among potentially banana growers in Morogoro, Tanzania. The study establishes whether men and women are likely to have equal preferences in adoption of new technologies and explores whether women who are able and those who are unable to adopt technologies face similar adoption challenges. The present study revealed that, potential adopters of EFF technologies seem to attach more weight to uniform ripening, colour intensity (attractiveness), and freshness followed by easiness of formulation and application, then minimum adverse health and environmental effects. This study also found that the adoption prospect was lower among female than male adopters, although its overall impact on the adoption rate was low. Moreover, the findings indicated limited adoption prospect of the technologies among female growers perceiving EFF as labour insensitive technologies. The study established higher adoption prospect among growers whose banana are at early stages of maturity. Continued efforts to address a priori the challenges that can potentially undermine the adoption, easing the use of technologies, and targeting growers whose fruits are at early stages of maturity, as ideal means to enhance the adoption during the introduction phase. The present study recommends the EFF package to mainly focus on preferred fruit attributes, especially easy formulation and application and minimum health and environmental effects. Future studies should focus on impacts of specific formulation of the EFF on the adoption prospect.
Women’s prospects to adopt enhanced freshness formulation (EFF) technologies for banana in Morogoro rural district, Tanzania
(The Journal of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, 2018) Subert, M. P.; Kilima, F. T. M.; Mwatawala, M. W.; Msogoya, T. J.; Mtui, H.
This paper draws lessons from a study based on forecasts rather than actual results. The study was conducted to identify factors that could potentially affect women’s decisions to adopt enhanced freshness formulation (EFF) technologies among banana growers in Morogoro, Tanzania. The study tested whether men and women were equally likely to adopt EFF technologies. The authors also explored whether women who are willing and able to influence adoption decisions and women who are willing but unable to influence adoption decisions face similar adoption challenges. The results from logit model suggest that the adoption prospect is lower among female adopters than male adopters (p < .05). The study predicted a higher probability of female growers to be willing and able to influence adoption decisions among younger female growers compared to those over 35 years old (p < .1) although the overall impact on the adoption rate was low, owing to limited participation of young farmers (11 %) in banana production. The findings reveal less willingness and ability to adopt the technologies among female growers who perceived EFF applications as labour-insensitive technologies (p < .05). Likewise, the study identified higher willingness and ability to influence the adoption among growers whose bananas were not about to be harvested (p < .05). The authors recommend continued efforts to address a priori challenges that can potentially undermine adoption with easy-to-use preparation and application methods, and by targeting growers whose fruits are at early stages of maturation. Future studies could focus on the potential impacts of specific types of EFF technologies on the adoption prospect.