PARTICIPATORY VARIETAL SELECTION IN LOWLAND SORGHUM IN EASTERN ETHIOPIA: IMPACT ON ADOPTION AND GENETIC DIVERSITY

Farmers' Participatory Varietal Evaluation (PVE) was conducted on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) crops in the Kile-Bisidimo plains of eastern Ethiopia for three consecutive years, 1995–1997. The study aimed at providing farmers with alternatives to their landrace to enable them to overcome crop losses and to identify farmers' varietal selection criteria for inclusion in future breeding work. In 1995 constraints and opportunities in sorghum growing and farmers' varietal matching characteristics were identified through an informal survey. This was followed by a search for varieties and acquisitions of seed. Subsequently, eight varieties were evaluated of which five varieties were released and three were at the pre-release stage.In 1996 and 1997 farmer-managed on-farm trials were conducted and farmers evaluated the performance of the experimental varieties against a locally grown cultivar. Through pairwise and matrix ranking, farmers' selection criteria were listed, preferred varieties identified and initiatives taken to diffuse the varieties through the local seed system. Out of the eight varieties that research workers considered the best, farmers selected only three. The study negated the generally accepted view that farmers in lowland areas of eastern Ethiopia are reluctant to grow short-duration varieties. The selection and introduction of three new varieties into a farming system where farmers were growing only one local variety reconfirmed PVE to be a means for enhancing adoption and increasing genetic diversity. The study also confirmed that increasing farmers' access to their preferred varieties would result in a faster rate of diffusion through farmer-to-farmer seed exchange.

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Improved Livelihoods, Genetic Diversity and Farmer Participation: A Strategy for Rice Breeding in Rainfed Areas of India

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479700016161 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 311-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

D. M. Maurya ◽

A. Bottrall ◽

J. Farrington

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Plant Breeding ◽

Alternative Strategy ◽

Central Feature ◽

Rice Breeding ◽

Farmer Participation ◽

Rice Varieties ◽

New Varieties ◽

On Farm ◽

Traditional Rice

SUMMARYThe present structure of plant breeding and seed multiplication in India is highly centralized. Furthermore, only a small number of new varieties is officially released each year. The system therefore appears inappropriate for the requirements of the large proportion of Indian farmers located in risk-prone and highly diverse environments. An alternative strategy is described whose central feature is close matching of the characteristics of farmers' traditional rice varieties with those of advanced breeders' lines. A selection from these lines is then distributed in small quantities for on-farm trials managed by farmers themselves. If the success of these initial efforts is to be sustained, a more decentralized approach to breeding and multiplication will be necessary.

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ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH IN RICE BREEDING ON WOMEN FARMERS: A CASE STUDY IN EASTERN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479707005923 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 97-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

THELMA R. PARIS ◽

ABHA SINGH ◽

AMELIA D. CUENO ◽

V. N. SINGH

Keyword(s):

Participatory Research ◽

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Women Farmers ◽

Rice Varieties ◽

Participatory Varietal Selection ◽

Farmer Adoption ◽

New Varieties ◽

Eastern Uttar Pradesh ◽

On Farm ◽

The Impact

SUMMARYThis paper assesses farmer adoption of rice varieties and new genotypes introduced through participatory varietal selection (PVS) in villages which represent submergence- and drought/submergence-prone villages in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. It focuses on the involvement of women farmers in participatory research for screening improved varieties for areas which suffer from abiotic stresses. It further assesses the impact on the decision-making authority (or women's empowerment) on rice varietal choice, seed acquisition and disposal, and crop management after participating in PVS trials. It suggests strategies to empower women farmers in making sound and timely decisions on farm-related matters and to enhance their roles in accelerating the adoption of new varieties.

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FARMER PARTICIPATION IN COMMON BEAN GENOTYPE EVALUATION: THE CASE OF EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479797004079 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 399-408 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

F. MEKBIB

Keyword(s):

Common Bean ◽

Selection Criteria ◽

Navy Bean ◽

Eastern Ethiopia ◽

Bean Genotype ◽

Common Bean Genotype ◽

Genotype Evaluation ◽

On Farm ◽

Yield Trials ◽

Selection Of

Advanced genotypes of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were tested on-station and on-farm to evaluate their performance and acceptability under farmers' circumstances. Farmers were given seed of the genotypes to plant a minimum area of 100 m2 to be grown as a sole crop or intercropped with sorghum according to their preference. Yield, seed colour, taste, maturity time, disease reaction, growth habit and many other bean characteristics were assessed by farmers. The promising genotypes were higher yielding than the farmers' genotypes in most testing sites. Pairwise ranking of the genotypes showed that in export-oriented western Hararghe, white pea bean (navy bean) type Awash-1 and food bean G-2816 were preferred. In eastern Hararghe GLP ×92 and G-2816 were highly preferred but white pea beans were not preferred. Genotypes in advanced observation nurseries were also evaluated by the farmers and some of the genotypes have been promoted for further testing in yield trials. Selection criteria have been proposed by the farmers in each region. Future breeding and selection of genotypes will incorporate the proposed selection criteria and priorities of the two regions.

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Implications of Seed Policies for On-Farm Agro-Biodiversity in Ethiopia and Uganda

Sustainable Agriculture Research ◽

10.5539/sar.v6n4p12 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 12 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gloria Atieno Otieno ◽

Travis W. Reynolds ◽

Altinay Karasapan ◽

Isabel Lopez Noriega

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

East Africa ◽

Local Level ◽

Seed Systems ◽

Crop Genetic Diversity ◽

Crop Varieties ◽

New Varieties ◽

Seed System ◽

Crop Variety ◽

On Farm

Across East Africa, national seed policies and commercial seed enterprises have focused on increasing farmers’ access to modern seed varieties. These new varieties are developed and delivered to farmers via the formal seed system, which is comprised of government and private sector seed breeders, processors, and vendors. However, the formal seed system only provides a small share (<20%) of smallholders’ seed in the region. Most farmers source seed from informal seed systems, including own-saved seed, exchanges with neighbors, and local seed markets. At the local level, informal seed systems are preferred by farmers because of proximity and local varietal preferences (e.g., crop variety tastes and suitability for local environmental conditions). At the national and regional levels, the conservation and use of local crop varieties through informal systems has also provided a wealth of crop genetic diversity increasingly recognized as critical for climate change adaptation. To evaluate how policies in East Africa impact seed systems we systematically code 117 provisions in 21 national seed policies in Ethiopia (n=11) and Uganda (n=10), highlighting the implications of current and proposed policies for the availability and accessibility of: (i) improved seed; (ii) quality-controlled seed; and (iii) genetically diverse local seed in both the formal and informal seed systems in each country.

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Tailoring rice varieties to consumer preferences induced by cultural and colonial heritage: Lessons from New Rice for Africa (NERICA) in The Gambia

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.1177/00307270211019758 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003072702110197

Author(s):

Kofi Britwum ◽

Matty Demont

Keyword(s):

Consumer Preferences ◽

Rice Variety ◽

Import Substitution ◽

The Gambia ◽

Rice Varieties ◽

Auction Market ◽

Asian Rice ◽

Market Competitiveness ◽

New Varieties ◽

Locally Grown

Rice breeding priorities in Africa often focus on agronomic gains. However, being a net importer of rice, the continent’s varietal replacement success also crucially hinges on new varieties’ market competitiveness vis-à-vis imports. Markets have been profoundly shaped by cultural and colonial heritage. Indigenous preferences for African rice can be traced back to ancient rice domestication and have been subsequently influenced by Asian rice import standards as a result of colonial import substitution policies. New Rice for Africa (NERICA) crosses between African and Asian rice species have the potential to reconcile these dual indigenous/import preferences, but little is known about their market competitiveness. We use auction market data to assess the intrinsic and extrinsic consumer value of NERICA in The Gambia relative to two market standards: branded, Asian rice imports and the most popular locally grown Asian rice variety. We categorize rice consumers into four market segments, based on their heritage as evidenced by their preferences and genealogical lineages. NERICA outperforms both Asian rice standards in terms of market competitiveness, and its value is further reinforced by colonial heritage and labeling, but somewhat weakened by cultural heritage. Consumers were found to pay price premiums for NERICA in the range of 5% to 22% relative to Asian rice imports, with the highest premiums offered by consumers with colonial heritage, representing 86% of the sample. Maintaining and expanding this market will require breeders to incorporate trait mixes that reconcile agronomic gains and consumer preferences induced by cultural and colonial heritage.

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RFLP-based assay of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench genetic diversity

Theoretical and Applied Genetics ◽

10.1007/bf00222013 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 90 (6) ◽

pp. 787-796 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Y. X. Cui ◽

G. W. Xu ◽

C. W. Magill ◽

K. F. Schertz ◽

G. E. Hart

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Sorghum Bicolor ◽

Sorghum Bicolor L

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Genetic diversity of some surviving on-farm Italian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) landraces

Plant Breeding ◽

10.1111/j.1439-0523.2005.01153.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 124 (6) ◽

pp. 576-581 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

L. Lioi ◽

A. R. Piergiovanni ◽

D. Pignone ◽

S. Puglisi ◽

M. Santantonio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Phaseolus Vulgaris ◽

Common Bean ◽

Phaseolus Vulgaris L ◽

On Farm

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The new use of Sorghum bicolor-derived SSR markers to evaluate genetic diversity in 17 Australian Sorghum species

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

10.1079/pgr200454 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 19-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Sally L. Dillon ◽

Peter K. Lawrence ◽

Robert J. Henry

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Sorghum Bicolor ◽

Ssr Markers ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Basic Knowledge ◽

Apparent Lack ◽

Breeding Programmes ◽

Diversity Studies ◽

Potential Use ◽

Simple Sequence

The Sorghum genus is extremely diverse both morphologically and geographically, however, relatively few of the 25 recognized species have been evaluated genetically. The apparent lack of basic knowledge pertaining to the levels of genetic diversity both within and between the 17 Australian wild species is a major obstacle to both their effective conservation and potential use in breeding programmes. Twelve Sorghum bicolor-derived simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were evaluated for cross-species amplification in all 25 Sorghum species. The SSR markers were highly polymorphic, with diversity indices ranging from 0.59 to 0.99 with mean of 0.91. Five markers combined were able to differentiate 24 of the 25 Sorghum species, with intra-species polymorphism apparent. Sorghum bicolor-derived SSRs have proven to be an efficient source of markers for genetic diversity studies of the relatively poorly characterized Australian indigenous Sorghum species.

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Convenience Sample of On-Farm Research Cooperators Representative of Wisconsin Farmers

Weed Technology ◽

10.1614/wt-08-083.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 300-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Edward C. Luschei ◽

Clarissa M. Hammond ◽

Chris M. Boerboom ◽

Pete J. Nowak

Keyword(s):

Weed Management ◽

Selection Criteria ◽

Community Dynamics ◽

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Theoretical Argument ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Research Areas ◽

On Farm ◽

Unknown Bias ◽

Management Behaviors

Researchers interested in describing or understanding agroecological systems have many reasons to consider on-farm research. Yet, despite the inherent realism and pedagogical value of on-farm studies, recruiting cooperators can be difficult and this difficulty can result in so-called “convenience samples” containing a potentially large and unknown bias. There is often no formal justification for claiming that on-farm research results can be extrapolated to farms beyond those participating in the study. In some sufficiently well-understood research areas, models may be able to correct for potential bias; however, no theoretical argument is as persuasive as a direct comparison between a randomized and a convenience sample. In a 30-cooperator on-farm study investigating weed community dynamics across the state of Wisconsin, we distributed a written survey probing farmer weed management behaviors and attitudes. The survey contained 59 questions that overlapped a large, randomized survey of farmer corn pest management behavior. We compared 187 respondents from the larger survey with the 18 respondents from our on-farm study. For dichotomous response questions, we found no difference in response rate for 80% of the questions (α = 0.2, β > 0.5). Differences between the two groups were logically connected to the selection criteria used to recruit cooperators in the on-farm study. Similarly, comparisons of nondichotomous response questions did not differ for 80% of the questions (α = 0.05, β > 0.9). Exploratory multivariate analyses failed to reveal differences that might have been hidden from the marginal analyses. We argue that our findings support the notion that the convenience samples often associated with on-farm research may be representative of the more general class of farms, despite lack of bias protection provided by truly randomized designs.

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