EAS Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Abbreviated Key Title: EAS J Vet Med Sci ISSN: 2663-1881 (Print) & ISSN: 2663-7316 (Online) Published By East African Scholars Publisher, Kenya Volume-4 | Issue-4 | Sept-Oct, 2022 | DOI: 10.36349/easjvms.2022.v04i04.002 *Corresponding Author: Namusoke Margaret Yekosabeth 44 Faculty of Business Administration, Nkumba University, P.O. Box 237 Entebbe, Uganda Original Research Article Analysis of Farmers’ Characteristics on Productivity of Commercial Broiler Production Units in Mukono District Namusoke Margaret Yekosabeth 1,2* , Richard Mwirumubi 1 , Anthony Mugisha 3 1 Faculty of Business Administration, Nkumba University, P.O. Box 237 Entebbe, Uganda 2 Faculty of Environment and Agricultural Science, Ndejje University, P.O. BOX 7088 Kampala, Uganda 3 College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio Security, Makerere University, P.O. BOX 7062 Kampala, Uganda Article History Received: 19.08.2022 Accepted: 23.09.2022 Published: 28.09.2022 Journal homepage: https://www.easpublisher.com Quick Response Code Abstract: Poultry meat is one of the fastest growing components of Uganda‟s meat production, consumption, and trade. However, it is estimated that more than 80 % of the small holder dominated sub-sector use traditional family-based production systems which limit production efficiency. This research analyzed the farmers‟ characteristics and productivity of commercial broiler production units in Mukono District. Using a cross-sectional survey, 302 broiler farmers were randomly selected from five sub-counties of Mukono District. Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics to characterize broiler farmers, whereas, ordinary least square regression analysis was carried out to assess factors affecting productivity of commercial broiler production units. Results showed that majority were males (53.31%) and married (92.72%). Most (60.26%) had primary as their highest level of education attained. The average age was 45 years with average household size of 7 members. Similarly; majority (91.04%) had land under poultry farming ranging from 0.25 to 3 acres. Feeds cost (P≤0.05), veterinary cost (P≤0.001), farmer‟s level of education (P≤0.05), extension services (P≤0.001), age of a household head (P≤0.001), land ownership (P≤0.05), and labour type (P≤0.05), showed a positive and significant influence on productivity, whereas, poultry farming experience (P≤0.001), land under poultry farming (P≤0.001), distance to the nearest market (P≤0.05), and record keeping (P≤0.05), negatively and significantly influenced productivity. In conclusion, education level, land under poultry farming, and membership to a group were distinct among farmers who were productive and those that were not. Productivity of commercial broiler farming was majorly influenced by several farmers‟ socio-economic characteristics. Keywords: Productivity, farmers‟ characteristics. Copyright © 2022 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the original author and source are credited. 1. INTRODUCTION In Uganda, agricultural sector is a corner stone of the economic and social life of the people (Diao et al., 2010; Benin et al., 2012). The sector employs over 70% of the population and contributes a bigger percentage to the total GDP (EPRC, 2013). Livestock production, as one component of agriculture, covers 40 % of agricultural output and it also plays an important role in the national economy as it contributes 11 % of the total GDP (Proctor, 2014). The diverse agro ecology and agronomic practice prevailing in the country together with the huge population of livestock in general and poultry in particular could be a promising attribute to boost up the sector and increase its contribution to the total agricultural output as well as to improve the living standards of the poor livestock keepers (Salami et al., 2010). Poultry production, as one segment of livestock production has become an important enterprise not only to Uganda but also the entire world (FAO, 2015). This is attributed to the poultry‟s fast growth and returns, nutrition potential, limited space requirement, and lower capital requirement compared to other agricultural enterprises (Mirakzadeh, et al., 2010). The enterprise has evolved from less productive local chickens under backyard system to the current commercialized and specialized farms, where specific types of chicken such as broilers have been developed through continuous breeding (Sonaiya, 2013). However, there is still limited adherence to good management principles and technical