Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Tea Production by Small Holder Tea Farmers Uganda: A Case of Kyamuhunga Sub-County, Bushenyi District

Abstract

The general objective of the study was to find out the socio-economic factors influencing tea production by smallholder tea farmers in Uganda, a case study of Kyamuhunga Sub-county Bushenyi District. The study applied a non-experimental design called descriptive survey research design. Both primary and secondary data was collected during the study. The sample size was determined by taking into consideration several factors such as the degree of precision desired for the survey estimates, the cost, operational limitations and the efficiency of the design. Since stratified random sampling was used. Therefore, in this case, the researcher took 68 tea farmers as the sample. This sample was distributed amongst the Parishes in Kyamuhunga sub-county. The questionnaire were made up of different sections for example section A, section B and section C. Section A about the background characteristics of the respondents. Data was analyzed using three methods, which include; descriptive statistics, tabulations and inferential statistics. Study results from ANOVA results revealed that there is a significant relationship between the availability of farm inputs, education level, income levels of and tea production by smallholder tea farmers at 5 percent level of significance since the p-value is less than 0.05. Additionally, the regression results revealed that there is a statistically significant positive relationship (at 5 percent level of significance) between education level of tea farmer, income levels and tea production in this study since its P-value is less than 0.05. The study therefore recommends that the Ugandan Government and the Tea Board of Uganda, should put in place a practical infrastructure that ensures social-economic equity environment for the small holder tea farmer. Also the study recommends that the Government of Uganda should also put up a clear and strong tea extension policy that can cater for a diversified tea farmer to become social-economically sound.