ABSTRACT

Banana is an important fruit in the Somali community and the country was the largest banana producer and exporter in Africa at present all excessive production and export declined due to inadequate knowledge of cultivation activities. The purpose of the study is to assess banana farm workers’ level of knowledge of banana cultivation and associated factors. A well-structured questionnaire was used together with face-to-face interview of large-scale banana farm-workers using the cluster probability sample technique. Farmers were classified into three knowledge-level categories according to Bloom's cutoff point. Descriptive statistics and chi-square test at the significant level a=0.050 were used. Four-hundred farmworkers participated in the study, 69% were male, and 41% were illiterate. More than 70% of farmworkers had poor level of knowledge. Farmer's education level, number of family households, income, banana farming experience, amount of banana produced, sources of income, access to participate in training, and training experience were significant factors associated with the level of knowledge. Improving farmers’ level of knowledge by focusing on enhancing farmers' income, education, providing training, and recruiting qualified experienced farmers may lead sustainable banana production in Somalia.

Keywords: Farm worker’s Level of Knowledge, Sustainable banana production, Banana cultivation, Banana productivity, Somalia.