The Effect of Banana Value Addition on Food Security and Household Income among Banana Farmers in Bubare Sub-County, Mbarara District.

Background This study examined the effect of banana value addition on food security and household income among banana farmers in Bubare Sub‑County, Mbarara District. Methods The study employed a mixed‑methods design. A sample size of 162 respondents selected from banana‑farming households was selected using the formula of Kish and Leslie (1965. Data were collected through the use of questionnaires and key informant interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results The majority of the respondents were male (57.4%) and female (42.6%); most 22.8% of respondents had primary level of education, followed by 18.5% who had completed ordinary level of education, and the least completed post-secondary education (5.6%). The results further revealed that 50.0% of farmers engaged in banana value addition, mainly through production of local banana beer (29.6%), flour (16.0%), wine (12.3%), and juice (11.1%). Other practices included drying, biscuit production, and animal feed preparation. Regression analysis indicated that households practicing value addition were 4.8 times more likely to achieve food security than non‑adopters (OR = 4.812, p < 0.001). Conclusion The study concludes that banana value addition contributes significantly to household food security, but its income effect remains transitional, as raw banana sales continue to yield higher median incomes for non‑adopters. Recommendation The study recommends that extension services should be reoriented toward post‑harvest processing, with gender‑sensitive approaches to address disparities in adoption.