Knowledge, attitudes and practices of smallholder banana farmers and their socio-economic correlates

Banana production is an important source of food and income for smallholder farming households in Tanzania. However, farmers perceived knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) may vary across banana value-chain activities and according to their socio-economic and institutional circumstances. This study assessed and compared the perceived knowledge, attitudes and practices of smallholder banana farmers’ across selected value-chain activities and examined the socio-economic factors associated with these KAP dimensions in Meru District Council and Moshi Rural District, Tanzania. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 352 smallholder banana farmers, comprising 149 (42.3%) from Meru District Council and 203 (57.7%) from Moshi Rural District. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered through Kobo Toolbox. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s chi-square tests and multiple linear regression were used for analysis. The findings showed variation in perceived knowledge, attitudes and practices across the different banana value-chain activities. Overall, 50.3% of farmers in Meru and 49.3% in Moshi Rural had low perceived knowledge, while 40.9% and 39.9%, respectively, had high perceived knowledge. Regarding attitudes, 51.0% of farmers in Meru and 52.2% in Moshi Rural reported negative attitudes, whereas 41.6% and 42.9%, respectively, reported positive attitudes. For practices, 47.7% of Meru farmers and 43.8% of Moshi Rural farmers reported poor practices, while 44.3% and 49.8%, respectively, reported good practices. However, district differences in the aggregated KAP categories were not statistically significant for perceived knowledge (χ² (2) = 0.429, p = 0.807, Cramér’s V = 0.035), attitudes (χ² (2) = 0.925, p = 0.630, V = 0.051) or practices (χ² (2) = 1.143, p = 0.565, V = 0.057). The multiple regression model for perceived knowledge was statistically significant and explained 89.9% of the variance (R²=0.899; adjusted R²=0.895). Farming experience showed the strongest positive association with perceived knowledge (β = 0.885, p < 0.001), while education, household income, cooperative membership and extension visits were also positively associated with perceived knowledge. For practices, farming experience (β = 0.879, p < 0.001), land size (β = 0.254, p < 0.001), education (β = 0.122, p < 0.001), cooperative membership (β = 0.100, p < 0.001) and extension visits (β = 0.086, p < 0.001) were positively associated with better self-reported practices. Overall, the findings indicate that farmers’ perceived knowledge, attitudes and practices are multidimensional and associated with individual, household and institutional characteristics rather than district location alone. Strengthening continuous and practical extension services, farmer education, cooperative participation and context-specific value-chain training could support improved farmer capacity and practices among smallholder banana farmers in the study areas.