Maize variety preferences among smallholder farmers in Ethiopia: Implications for demand-led breeding and seed sector development.

Among smallholder maize farmers in Ethiopia (and similar areas in Africa), yield and stress tolerance traits in maize varieties are important. While high yields remain a major objective, breeding and seed system development programs are increasingly based on the recognition that farmers also have an interest in other agronomic and consumption traits. In this paper we illustrate these issues by measuring the trade-offs farmers may be willing to make for specific traits in the mid-altitude maize markets in Ethiopia. Based on Choice Experiments among 1499 respondents, we estimate the preference for a set of agronomic and consumption traits relative to yield. by capturing farmers' "willingness to sacrifice yield". The results suggest a significant willingness to sacrifice yield for drought tolerance among both male and female household members, but not for early maturity per se. There was also a high willingness to sacrifice yields for plant architecture traits like closed tip and lodging resistance among male participants, but not among females. Heterogeneity in responses according to gender, education and land area under maize cultivation suggests that market segmentation is necessary for seed system development to become more demand-led and inclusive. Final and realistic segmentation will depend on the commercial viability or social impact potential of each segment.

Climate risks and adaptation strategies of farmers in East Africa and South Asia.

Understanding major climate risks, adaptation strategies, and factors influencing the choice of those strategies is crucial to reduce farmers' vulnerability. Employing comprehensive data from 2822 farm households in Ethiopia and Kenya (East Africa; EA) and 1902 farm households in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal (South Asia; SA), this study investigates the main climate risks that farmers faced and the adaptation strategies they used. Among others, excessive rainfall and heightened crop pest/disease incidence are commonly observed climate-induced risks in all study areas, while cyclones and salinity are unique to Bangladesh. Drought is prevalent in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Nepal. Farmers in those countries responded with strategies that include change in farming practices, sustainable land management, reduce consumption, sell assets, use savings and borrowings, seek alternative employment and assistance from government or NGO. In general, farmers faced several multiple climate risks simultaneously and they responded with multiple adaptation strategies. Therefore, this study used a multivariate probit (MVP) approach to examine the factors influencing the adoption of adaptation strategies. Unlike other studies, we also tested and corrected for possible endogeneity in model estimation. All the countries mentioned have low adaptive capacity to address climate change, which is further weakened by inadequate governance and inefficient institutions. We observed significant differences in the choice of adaptation strategies between male-headed households (MHHs) and female-headed households (FHHs), as well as across countries. Generally, MHHs are more likely to seek additional employment and change agricultural practices, while FHHs and households headed by older persons tend to reduce consumption and rely on savings and borrowings. Institutional support for adaptation is much less in EA compared to SA. Training on alternative farming practices, enhancing non-farm employment options, better institutional support, and social security for older farmers are crucial for climate change adaptation in both regions.

Trait preference trade-offs among maize farmers in western Kenya.

Farmers inevitably make trade-offs when choosing which crop varieties to grow based on each variety's unique strengths (and weaknesses). This study uses choice experiment data from 1288 maize farmers from western Kenya and applies a mixed logit model to estimate willingness to sacrifice yield as an experimental devise to measure such trade-offs when farmers are called upon to chose varieties with varying levels of desirable agronomic or consumption traits. We find that men and women respondents had similar preferences for maize traits, but differed in the rate of tradeoffs between traits. Women respondents appeared to make larger yield sacrifices for tolerance to drought, Striga weed and good storability than men. Men showed higher willingness to sacrifice yield for closed tip. Implications for gender-sensitive maize breeding and seed market development are drawn.

Understanding climate-risk coping strategies among farm households: Evidence from five countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Climate change is having a catastrophic impact on the livelihoods of farm households in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). This study employs comprehensive data obtained in 2018 from 4351 farm households in five countries to appraise the key climate hazards experienced by farmers, the risk coping methods adopted, and factor influencing the use of these methods. Although droughts, floods, hailstorms, and crop pests/diseases are major climate-induced risks in ESA, droughts are predominant in all these countries. Farm households in ESA have adopted various strategies to address climate risk, which includes changing farming practices, reducing consumption, using savings and borrowing, and seeking new employment. Farming families headed by a female, married, or an elderly member opt to change farming methods and decrease consumption, whereas they are less inclined to look for alternate livelihood options. Farming families with higher livestock endowments commonly use savings or borrow and are unlikely to change farming methods, decrease consumption, and search for alternate employment. Better-off families tend to change farming methods but are unlikely to adopt other risk coping options. Farming families with non-farm livelihood options are unlikely to change farming methods, use savings/borrowings, or decrease consumption, whereas they tend to search for alternate employment. Training on agriculture and economic status are crucial for climate change adaptation in these regions. Findings exhibit substantial differences among the study countries regarding the adoption of coping strategies. Compared to farmers in Kenya, farmers in other countries change agricultural methods to cope with climate shocks. Ethiopian farmers, compared to their Kenyan counterparts, decrease consumption to deal with climate risks, whereas, farmers in Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique are less likely to use this option. Similarly, the likelihood of seeking alternative employment as a risk coping strategy is lower among Ethiopian farmers, while it is higher among the farmers in other countries.

What explains the gender differences in the adoption of multiple maize varieties? Empirical evidence from Uganda and Tanzania.

Understanding the process that underpins the effective and equitable adoption of modern crop varieties remains an imperative for agricultural development in Africa. This study examines gender differences in adoption rates and determinants of the decision to adopt drought-tolerant (DT) and non-drought-tolerant (ND) maize varieties, based on analysis of maize production data from Tanzania and Uganda. Applying a switching regression with multinomial logit models, we exploit plot level adoption decisions by women and men individually or jointly with in the household, controlling for gender dimension of resource ownership along with other covariates. We find gender differences in the adoption rates for both DT and ND. The results suggest substitution effects noticeable in the decision to use one maize variety rather than another. As the size of the area about which both spouses are jointly owned increases, so does the likelihood that they will adopt DT. Furthermore, DT adoption is also more likely if farmers have experienced frequent climate shocks and dry spells in the past growing seasons. The differences in adoption behavior between men and women jointly or individually are attributable to a combination of the levels and returns of physical- and social-capital factors, as well as to structural issues. One important policy implication of the results is the need for targeted and disaggregated strategies for scaling modern maize varieties, instead of one-size-fits-all approaches.

Impacts of drought-tolerant maize varieties on productivity, risk, and resource use: Evidence from Uganda.

Weather variability is an important source of production risk for rainfed agriculture in developing countries. This paper evaluates the impacts of the adoption of drought-tolerant maize varieties on average maize yield, yield stability, risk exposure and resource use in rainfed smallholder maize farming. The study uses cross-sectional farm household-level data, collected from a sample of 840 farm households in Uganda. The adoption of drought-tolerant maize varieties increased yield by 15% and reduced the probability of crop failure by 30%. We further show that the adoption of these varieties increased investments in maize production at the extensive margin through maize area increase and to a more limited extent at the intensive margin through mechanization. The findings show promise for further uptake and scaling of drought-tolerant maize varieties for increased productivity, reduced risk, and the transformation of the maize sector.

Characteristics of maize cultivars in Africa: How modern are they and how many do smallholder farmers grow?

BACKGROUND: Maize is the most important cereal and most widely cultivated staple that plays a key role in the food security of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although some countries have achieved significant gains in maize productivity, the SSA average yields are far below what could be obtained with improved cultivars under good crop management. Low cultivar turnover is one among many contributing factors to low maize yields in SSA. At present, there is a critical knowledge gap on the identity, number, and age of maize cultivars currently grown by smallholder farmers on the continent. RESULTS: This study revealed that nearly 500 maize cultivars were grown in 13 African countries surveyed in the 2013/2014 main crop season. Sixty-nine percent of the cultivars each occupied <1% of the total maize area; only two cultivars occupied >40% and four occupied >30% area. Approximately 32% of all the cultivars were hybrids, 23% were improved open-pollinated varieties (OPVs), and 46% were locals. Eastern Africa (EA) and southern Africa (SA) accounted for about 43 and 38%, respectively, of all the cultivars reported, whereas West Africa's (WA) share was 19%. The average area planted to modern cultivars in the surveyed areas was estimated at 57%-with EA, SA, and WA estimates of 82, 55, and 36%, respectively; however, increased adoption was not necessarily always related to improved productivity, as the latter depends on many additional factors. Each household planted an average of 1.781 cultivars (range 1-8). The overall weighted average age of the cultivars was 15 years, with hybrids and OPVs being 13 and 18 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Maize variety turnover in SSA is slower than what is practiced in the USA and other world regions such as Latin America and Asia. The substantial variations among regions and countries in all parameters measured suggest a tailored approach to mitigation interventions. Findings of this current study pave the way for replacing the old cultivars with more recent releases that are tolerant or resistant to multiple stresses and are more resilient.