| dc.description.abstract | The study evaluated factors influencing choice of maize seed variety. The purpose was to look at social economic characteristics of maize farmers, different maize seed variety adopted by farmers, desirable perceived factors of improved variety and how this factors influence the choice of maize variety. A cross sectional design and descriptive method were applied as research design. Purposive sampling was used to select the district since the district is known for high maize production and random sampling method was used to select the villages and farmers. A sample of 60 farmers were selected. Descriptive statistics was used to study social economic characteristics of farmers and the desirable perceived factors of improved seed maize variety. Binary logistic model was used to determine factors influencing choice of maize variety. It was found out that’ out of the 70 households that were interviewed, 30 were female farmers and 40 were males, the mean age of the household heads was 51.8 years. The results also showed that the mean number of years spent in school by farmers were 8 years The average land devoted to maize production by smallholder farmers in masaka was 5.5 acres. The average level of experience of maize producers in the study area was 5 years of experience in maize production. However, farmers who adopted improved maize variety revealed the perceived desirable attributes of improved maize variety and why they adopted to improved maize variety, the reasons were outlined by the maize farmers they mentioned drought tolerant, short maturity, bigger grain size, more nutritious diseases resistant. Sex of the maize farmers, age and loan access had a negative influence on the probability of adopting improved maize variety. The study also revealed that household size and income of the farmer had a positive influence on the probability of adopting improved farming. The study recommended for soft loans and subsidizing of improved seeds maize variety to lower the prices. The study also recommended for more extension services in the farmer groups. | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Maize, Zea mays L. (corn), is the most abundantly produced cereal in the world. About 50 species exist and consist of different colors, textures, and grain shapes and sizes. White, yellow, and red are the most common cultivated maize types. Maize is one of the major food crops in Uganda. Other Staple food crops in Uganda include bananas (matooke), beans, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, sorghum and millet. Maize is a staple food that is both low cost and easy to prepare. Although millet and sorghum are the main staple foods in Northern, Northeastern and some parts of Eastern Uganda, there are predictions that maize production may soon exceed millet production even in those areas as a result of the potential for superior maize production technology and changing consumer preferences.(Council, 2019)
Over the years, total maize production in Uganda has gradually increased from roughly 800,000 tones to 2,750, 000 tons in 2020. Maize is grown in most parts of Uganda but most intensely in eastern (Kapchorwa, Mbale, Kamuli, Jinja, Iganga), central (Masaka and Mubende) and western (Masindi, Kamwenge, Kyenjojo, Kasese, Kabarole). Over 90% of the maize is produced by small holder farmers. (Kaizzi, 2020)
Producers have continued to grow more than subsistence needs even if prices are low in order to generate cash for essential life items such as clothes, health care among others. Hence, in a normal year they usually have at least a modest market surplus. The heart of the poverty problem is that over 70% of Uganda’s labor force is employed in agriculture, a sector that is receiving less than half of the total income (GDP) in the economy. While home consumption remains the main reason for producing maize, small farmers depend upon maize among other crops for a substantial source of farm income.
Furthermore, majority of farmers also retain a portion of their produce for seed. Reliance upon purchased seed has not been common. Thus due to its excellent storage properties, maize is often stored for future use in case of drought or food shortage. Maize has also become an important ingredient in the animal (maize bran) diets. Maize is being tried as a supplementary and/or alternative export crop in Uganda today. The advantage it has over the other crops introduced earlier on in the diversification program (maize and beans) is that it can be successfully be intercropped with many other food crops and thus efficiently utilize land. This ensures food security as it matures earlier than the other crops originally selected for diversification.
The government of Uganda resolved to support the generation, dissemination and adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies. A number of productivity-enhancing technologies (including high-yielding crop varieties and land management techniques) have been developed and released by the Ugandan government organizations like National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAADS). However, because of the low uptake of these technologies, farmer’s yields are still low. There are two categories of maize varieties in Uganda; Open Pollinated Varieties-OPVs and Hybrids. Improved OPVs are higher yielding than traditional varieties and seed can be recycled for two years by the farmers without a reduction in yield. Hybrid varieties under good management yield more than OPVs. However, hybrid seed has to be bought every season (NAADS, 2022).
More than 50 varieties of maize exist, but are generally divided into five major categories: flint corn; dent corn; flour corn; popcorn; and sweet corn. | en_US |
