Tobacco production, and curing is the single most important contributor to soil degradation and deforestation in Uganda. To minimise the environmental effects associated with tobacco production, the environmentally friendly, as well as energy‐efficient, rocket barn technology was developed. In spite of its energy saving and environmental benefits, the adoption of rocket barn technology remains low and understudied. This paper assessed farmers' perception and factors affecting the adoption of rocket barn technology in Uganda. Data were collected through a cross‐sectional survey using structured questionnaires from 242 flue‐cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco farmers in Uganda. The analysis was done using SPSS and STATA software. Results showed that the adoption of rocket barn technology was low, at 12%, with farmers perceiving the technology to be risky and costly. Experience, training, distance to wood fuel source, access to extension information, and benefits and risk perceptions were the major determinants of adoption of rocket barn technology. Promotion and adoption of rocket barn technology will therefore require concerted efforts in extension and training of farmers on the environmental benefits of the technology. Such promotional efforts should target the relatively inexperienced young FCV tobacco farmers.
Tobacco production and curing is the single most important contributor to soil degradation and deforestation. To minimise the environmental effects of tobacco production, the environmentally friendly, and energy-efficient rocket barns technology was developed. In spite of its energy saving and environmental benefits, the adoption of rocket barns remains low and understudied. This paper assessed farmers perception and factors affecting the adoption of rocket barn technology. Data was collected using in a cross-sectional survey using structured questionnaires were from 242 Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco farmers in Uganda. Analysed was done using SPSS and STATA software. Results show that the adoption of rocket barn technology was low, at 12%, with farmers. Farmers perceived adopting the rocket barns technology to be risky and costly. Experience, training, distance to wood fuel, access to extension information, and benefits and risk perceptions were the major determinants of adoption of rocket barns technology. Promotion and adoption of rocket barns technology will require concerted sensitization and training of farmers on the environmental benefits of rocket barn technology. Emphasis such efforts should target the relatively young and inexperienced FCV tobacco farmers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.