Assessment of the Determinants of Environmental Efficiency of Using Biorationals in Banana Pest Management in the Lake Victoria Crescent, Uganda

This research examined the factors affecting the environmental efficiency of biorationals in banana pest management in the Lake Victoria Crescent region of Uganda. Using farmers appraisals of the sustainability indictors, the Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Technique for participant selection and employing descriptive statistics alongside Categorical Regression with Least Absolute Shrinkage Selection Operator for data analysis, the study revealed several influential factors. Key findings indicated that education level, informal social networks, land ownership, farming experience, type of planting materials, and livestock presence significantly impacted environmental efficiency. Interestingly, farmers without formal education rated environmental efficiency higher than those with mid-level education, while increased farming experience correlated with lower efficiency ratings. Positive influences on environmental efficiency were associated with the "Munomukabi" social network and leasehold land ownership, whereas intercropping banana with coffee had a negative effect. The study concluded that informal environments, particularly those involving farmers with non-formal education and strong social networks, play a vital role in biorational use. Conversely leasehold landowners demonstrated higher efficiency ratings than those with "Mailo" land tenure. Furthermore, older farmers tended to be less environmentally efficient and preferred less labor-intensive practices.