Perceptions on the Challenges of Banana Cultivation and Bio-based Technology Use Among Malaysian Smallholder Farmers

Abstract

Bananas are one of the most commonly grown fruit crops in Malaysia, but local production has declined in recent years. Through site visits and interviews with 74 smallholder banana farmers, this study sought to know the current situation of the local smallholder banana industry, the challenges faced in commercial banana cultivation, and the use of bio-based technologies to address the challenges. The farmers cited increasing production costs, pests and diseases, and yield uncertainties as major challenges to their plantations’ survival. While they have been using farming techniques, including bio-based technologies, to improve fruit yield, the farmers perceived the current technologies as inadequate in mitigating the impacts of frequent disease outbreaks. The interviews also reveal farmers’ misconceptions on the nature of tissue culture technology, reflecting their poor understanding of how tissue culture works, thus, putting banana farms at risk. Overall, this study’s direct engagements with banana farmers show that correct information and access to technology are a rare privilege for smallholders. Therefore, coordinated efforts to substantially increase support for smallholder farmers is paramount.

Exploring the wellbeing and challenges faced by smallholder plantation farmers in Malaysia: A systematic review

“…Next, four articles were published in 2020 [34][35][36][37] and three articles from 2018 [38][39][40] . Two articles were published in 2017 [41,42] , 2019 [43,44] and 2022 [45,46] . Figure 2 shows the states where the studies were conducted.…”

“…On the other hand, there are state with no article published that derived data from it. It cannot be concluded that this state does not have any smallholder plantation farmers, Perak (1) [24] Selangor (2) [35,46] Pahang (2) [28,34] Johor (2) [30,41] Sarawak (6) [25,32,37,[42][43][44] Sabah (5) [27,36,[38][39][40] Peninsular Malaysia (1) [24] Malaysia (4) [29,31,33,45] Acknowledgement of challenges faced by oil palm smallholders farmers in Sarawak Mohd Shafiai et al [36] Kesan sikap, faktor halangan dan manfaat tanggapan pekebun kecil sawit persendirian kepada niat menggunakan mikro kredit Islam 2020 Islamiyyat Acknowledgement of challenges faced by oil palm smallholders farmers in Perak Manaf et al [39] Mendepani kekangan inovasi dan teknologi dalam kalangan pekebun kecil sawit di Sabah 2018…”

“…Manaf et al [39] Sabah / / / / / 13 Zainha et al [38] Sabah / / 14 Rahim et al [29] Malaysia / / 15 Ali [30] Johor / / 16 Manaf and Choy [27] Sabah / / / 17 Jalaluddin et al [45] Malaysia / / / 18 Ratnasingam et al [31] Malaysia / / / / 19…”

“…Author Title Year Source Information on smallholder plantation farmers' challenges Manaf and Choy [27] 2015 Geografi Acknowledgement of challenges faced by smallholders plantation farmers in Sabah Jalaluddin [45] 2022 Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development…”

Enhancing Agricultural Practices Through IoT-Based Smart Farming Technologies: A Case Study on Banana Crop Yield Optimization

“…These images are then analysed to determine the distribution and density of crops throughout the field. This method allows farmers to efficiently monitor crop health, identify areas of overgrowth or undergrowth, and make informed decisions regarding irrigation, fertilization, and pest management [15][16][17][18].…”