Bananas and Food Security - Bioversity International

740 Les productions bananières / Bananas and food security – Session 4
the factors that reduced returns from using these inputs. Other options for improving
soil fertility (e.g. use of fertilisers) need to be explored.
Banana was less profitable than coffee but had a comparative advantage over annual
food crops. The high labour requirements and limited export market put bananas at a
lower comparative advantage over coffee. There is need to improve the marketing system
and utilisation base to increase profitability of the banana.
Acknowledgment
The IDRC and Rockefeller Foundation through grants to Uganda National Banana
Program, IITA and ICIPE funded the study. Dr. P. Ngategize, Sonia and F. Carley made
valuable comments on the questionnaire used for this study. Support provided by
R. Ssendege and E.M. Katungi during the study is highly appreciated.
References
Anonymous 1991. A report on a rapid rural appraisal of banana production. Research Bulletin
No. 2. Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Bagamba F. 1994. Resource allocation efficiency in a banana based cropping system in Uganda.
M.Sc. Thesis. Makerere University, Kampala. 116 pp.
Gold C.S., E.B. Karamura, A. Kiggundu, F. Bagamba, & A.M.K Abera. 1998. Geographical shifts in
highland banana production in Uganda. The International Journal of Sustainable Development
and World Ecology (in press).
Mugisha J. & D.S. Ngambeki. 1994. Marketing system of the Uganda banana in Uganda. African
Crop Science Conference Proceedings 1: 384-387.