Potato is a major food staple in the tropical highlands of Africa. However, its production is constrained by seed-borne diseases, with bacteria wilt (BW) being the most devastating and difficult to manage. Currently, there is no single e remedy for the disease. This paper uses Means-End Chain analysis to assess the psychosocial factors associated with the management of BW in potato production. It focuses on smallholder farmers in Central and Rift Valley regions of Kenya. The paper finds BW management is characterized by use of several practices, majority of which are ineffective in controlling the disease. They are, however, used mainly to increase yield, hence income and profits, and to achieve the personal values or life goals farmers aspire for. The paper concludes that BW management in smallholder potato farms is driven by both economic incentives (i.e., higher incomes and profits) and psychosocial factors. It discusses the implications of these findings for policy and practice.

马铃薯是非洲热带高地的主要粮食主食。但是，其生产受到种子传播疾病的限制，其中细菌性枯萎（BW）是最具破坏性和最难控制的。当前，没有针对该疾病的单一e疗法。本文使用均值-末端链分析法评估与马铃薯生产中体重控制相关的社会心理因素。它侧重于肯尼亚中部和裂谷地区的小农户。该论文发现，体重控制的特点是采用了多种实践，其中大多数对控制疾病无效。但是，它们主要用于增加产量，从而增加收入和利润，并实现农民追求的个人价值或生活目标。本文的结论是，小农马铃薯农场的体重控制是受经济诱因（即更高的收入和利润）和社会心理因素驱动的。它讨论了这些发现对政策和实践的影响。