Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda

Coffee and banana are important cash and food crops in Uganda and the surrounding East African highland region. Production is dominated by smallholders that have limited arable land and often coffee and banana are intercropped. No significant research and development efforts have been undertaken ove...

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Autores principales: Jassogne, Laurence T.P., Asten, Piet J.A. van, Wanyama, I., Baret, P.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Informa UK Limited 2013
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/41951
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author Jassogne, Laurence T.P.
Asten, Piet J.A. van
Wanyama, I.
Baret, P.
author_browse Asten, Piet J.A. van
Baret, P.
Jassogne, Laurence T.P.
Wanyama, I.
author_facet Jassogne, Laurence T.P.
Asten, Piet J.A. van
Wanyama, I.
Baret, P.
author_sort Jassogne, Laurence T.P.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Coffee and banana are important cash and food crops in Uganda and the surrounding East African highland region. Production is dominated by smallholders that have limited arable land and often coffee and banana are intercropped. No significant research and development efforts have been undertaken over the last few decades on this coffee/banana intercropping system. Because recent studies suggest that this system could be a practice with high benefits to the farmers, we decided to study the perceptions of stakeholders along the coffee value chain starting with farmers. Perception analysis based on open-ended interviews following interview guides revealed that a major limitation for the sustainability of this system was poor soil fertility conditions. Perceptions on the benefits of intercropping differed little among coffee actors; that is, banana intercropping provides additional food and income from smallholders’ limited land and helps farmers reduce risks related to drought, pest/disease attacks and coffee price volatility. However, farmers’ desire to minimize risks does not match the objective of stakeholders higher up the coffee value chain to maximize coffee production. Furthermore, research by public institutes, both national and international, is primarily organized for single crops and not systems. We conclude that the institutional setting of the coffee sector hampers the promotion of intercropping, despite the benefits for the farmer.
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spelling CGSpace419512025-12-08T09:54:28Z Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda Jassogne, Laurence T.P. Asten, Piet J.A. van Wanyama, I. Baret, P. agriculture climate coffee bananas smallholders intercropping soil fertility farming systems innovation food security Coffee and banana are important cash and food crops in Uganda and the surrounding East African highland region. Production is dominated by smallholders that have limited arable land and often coffee and banana are intercropped. No significant research and development efforts have been undertaken over the last few decades on this coffee/banana intercropping system. Because recent studies suggest that this system could be a practice with high benefits to the farmers, we decided to study the perceptions of stakeholders along the coffee value chain starting with farmers. Perception analysis based on open-ended interviews following interview guides revealed that a major limitation for the sustainability of this system was poor soil fertility conditions. Perceptions on the benefits of intercropping differed little among coffee actors; that is, banana intercropping provides additional food and income from smallholders’ limited land and helps farmers reduce risks related to drought, pest/disease attacks and coffee price volatility. However, farmers’ desire to minimize risks does not match the objective of stakeholders higher up the coffee value chain to maximize coffee production. Furthermore, research by public institutes, both national and international, is primarily organized for single crops and not systems. We conclude that the institutional setting of the coffee sector hampers the promotion of intercropping, despite the benefits for the farmer. 2013-05 2014-08-15T12:13:12Z 2014-08-15T12:13:12Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/41951 en Limited Access Informa UK Limited Jassogne, L., van Asten, P. J. A., Wanyama, I., & Baret, P. V. (2012). Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda. In International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability (Vol. 11, Issue 2, pp. 144–158). Informa UK Limited. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2012.714576
spellingShingle agriculture
climate
coffee
bananas
smallholders
intercropping
soil fertility
farming systems
innovation
food security
Jassogne, Laurence T.P.
Asten, Piet J.A. van
Wanyama, I.
Baret, P.
Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda
title Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda
title_full Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda
title_fullStr Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda
title_full_unstemmed Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda
title_short Perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in Uganda
title_sort perceptions and outlook on intercropping coffee with banana as an opportunity for smallholder coffee farmers in uganda
topic agriculture
climate
coffee
bananas
smallholders
intercropping
soil fertility
farming systems
innovation
food security
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/41951
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