Black Coffee Twig Borer Management Practices and Their Effect on Coffee Yields Among Smallholder Farmers in Lwanda Sub County, Rakai District

The study focused on assessing Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB) management practices and their effect on coffee yields among smallholder farmers in Lwanda sub county, Rakai district. It was limited to; establishing the management practices used to control BCTB among the coffee farmers, identify the socio-economic factors influencing the use of Black Coffee Twig Borer management practices among smallholder farmers and analyzing the effects of BCTB on coffee yields. The study employed a cross-sectional research design and primary data was collected from 200 respondents. The data was analysed using SPSS version 22.0. The study used questionnaires and interview guide to collect data. The results indicate that the commonly used Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB) management practices, which included regular pruning (p = 0.000), removal and burning of infested twigs, (p-value=0.000), shade regulation (p-value =0.001), timely harvesting,(p-value =0.003) and chemical control method (p-value =0.007), all had a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) on managing the of BCTB. The study recommends that, there is a need for capacity building for farmers, encourage farmers to adopt a combination of effective practices under an Integrated Pest Management approach, improve access to credit and financial services, strengthen policy and institutional support and promote positive attitudes and awareness campaign.