Adoption of New Sorghum Varieties in Mali Through a Participatory Approach

Sissoko, Mamadou; Smale, Mélinda; Castiaux, Annick; Thériault, Véronique

doi:10.3390/su11174780

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In the Malian traditional seed system, varieties may occasionally travel far, but this is limited to ad hoc initiatives of individual travelers or traders (Siart 2008). Through the growing number of collaborating farmer seedcooperatives, seed of new varieties is now available across larger geographic areas and reach a significant number of farm households in Mali and neighboring countries (Smale et al 2018;Sissoko et al 2019;vom Brocke et al 2020).…”

Section: Maintaining and Using A Range Of Different Varietiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming a traditional commons-based seed system through collaborative networks of farmer seed-cooperatives and public breeding programs: the case of sorghum in Mali

et al. 2020

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Malian farmers’ traditional system for managing seed of sorghum, an indigenous crop of vital importance for food security and survival, can be conceptualized as a commons. Although this system maintains a wide range of varieties and helps ensure access to seed, its ability to create and widely disseminate new varieties to meet evolving opportunities and challenges is limited. A network of farmer groups, public breeding programs, and development organizations collaborating in decentralized creation and dissemination of sorghum varieties in Mali is examined regarding (1) how the network developed and what activities it conducts; (2) the resulting varietal diversity, varietal performance and organizational models; and (3) the elements of the traditional seed system that were maintained, strengthened or transformed. A single-case study approach was used that relies on published literature, official catalogues of released varieties and a database of farmer seed-cooperative requests for foundation seed. The functioning of the network and its varietal-, seed-, and organizational- outcomes are documented and the elements of the traditional sorghum seed system that are maintained or strengthened are analyzed. The evolution of the network’s reliance on commoning as a social process and its strengthening of core Seed Commons features are discussed with a view to the network’s contributions to targeted development outcomes and potential replicability. The case demonstrates how creating a framework for collaboration, enabling actors and organizations to take on collective responsibility while maintaining distributed decision-making at local level, opens opportunities for transforming farming- and food-systems towards sustainability and resilience.

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Section: Maintaining and Using A Range Of Different Varietiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming a traditional commons-based seed system through collaborative networks of farmer seed-cooperatives and public breeding programs: the case of sorghum in Mali

et al. 2020

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“…This assumption has some justification. After all, Malian farmers adopted high - yielding Guinea-race sorghum hybrids soon after their development and commercialisation (Sissoko et al, 2019). Yet farmers in SSA adopt new varieties of sorghum and pearl millet for diverse reasons.…”

Section: Lessonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research and development for sorghum and millets in Sub-Saharan Africa: What have we learned?

2022

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The past two decades of R & D for sorghum and millets in SSA have generated a wealth of new evidence. A synthesis of this evidence identified six strategic lessons. These were that demand is not being driven by ‘new uses’, that plant breeding programmes need to respond to African farmer's contexts and objectives to increase impact, that availability is a bigger constraint on the supply of certified seed than physical or economic access, that higher adoption of improved varieties does not generally result in higher yields, that technology and varietal diversity can compensate for climate change, and that commercialisation can be gender – and socially inclusive. R & D in Africa differs from the Indian model because of the low level of commercialisation and the continued dominance of own consumption. Consequently R & D gives a dominant role to the public sector in plant breeding, to farmer organisations and groups in seed supply, and to prioritising household food security over commercial uses.

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“…FPVS has resulted in positive impact with adoption of technology and improvement of livelihood to both farmers and researchers (Witcombe et al, 2005). It has been successfully done in many crops including rice (Paris, 2011;Panwar et al, 2019;Orlando et al, 2020), beans (Tamene, 2016;Yadavendra et al, 2017), barley (Ferede and Demsie, 2020), wheat (Van Frank et al, 2020), sorghum (Sissoko et al, 2019;Vom et al, 2020), Bambara nuts in Malawi (Pungulani et al, 2012) and finger millet (Ojulong et al, 2017;Tarekegne et al, 2019). Various varieties of finger millet have been up-scaled, released, adopted and disseminated to farmers in countries such as Tadesse, Wama, Degu and ACC#213572 for Delgi and Chilga in Ethiopia (Fentie, 2012), and U-15 and P-224 in Tanzania (Ojulong et al, 2017) through Farmer Participatory Varietal Selection (FVPS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farmer preference for selected finger millet (Eleusine coracana) varieties in Rift Valley, Kenya

Tracyline¹,

Kimurto²,

Mafurah³

et al. 2021

J. Agric. Ext. Rural Dev

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Lack of awareness and information on the traits of orphan crops such as finger millet is a major constraint to finger millet production. Farmer participatory and varietal selection (FVPS) is an efficient method of achieving productivity through enhancing adoption of improved high yielding varieties. A study was conducted in two major growing areas in central Rift Valley, Agri-ecological zone III (ATC-Nakuru and Bomet), to assess the level of awareness and farmer preference of twenty-five finger millet varieties. Farmer participatory variety selection was conducted at physiological maturity of the finger millets. One hundred farmers assessed and scored their preferred traits and varieties in each site. The scores were ranked on a scale of 1-5 in Focused Group Discussions (FDGs) and analyzed using Kruskal Wallis H-test of non-parametric data using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) while scores collected on variety traits were used to construct a Pair-wise ranking table to find the best traits selected by farmers. The results showed that farmers preferred high yielding varieties with qualities such as uniformity, drought tolerance, tillering ability, big fingers, lodging and folded or straight fingers. They appreciated the snapping varieties for the ease of harvesting using fingers instead of traditional cutting using a knife. Kal 2 Pader (3.9), P-224 (3.9), KatFM1×U151.6.6.3.1.1 (3.9), GBK 027189A (2.8), Snapping green early (3.7) and KatFM1xU151.7.8.2.1 (3.7) were the most preferred varieties while in AEZ III, Bomet ATC KatFM1 (4.3), KNE 741 (4.3), KNE629 (4.2), KatFM1×U151.6.6.3.1 (4.1), Gulu E (3.9), GBK 027189A (3.8) and Kal 2 pader (3.8) were the most preferred varieties in ATC Nakuru. In both sites KatFM1×U151.6.6.3.1.1 (4.0), Kal 2 pader (3.85) and GBK 027189A (3.8), Gulu E (3.75) and P-224 (3.75), were ranked the best.The farmers expressed their interest in accessing the seeds of these improved varieties. FPVS provides a platform for identification of t h e most preferred traits of finger millet and knowledge dissemination of improved varieties to farmers.

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Adoption of New Sorghum Varieties in Mali Through a Participatory Approach

Cited by 16 publications

References 56 publications

Transforming a traditional commons-based seed system through collaborative networks of farmer seed-cooperatives and public breeding programs: the case of sorghum in Mali

Transforming a traditional commons-based seed system through collaborative networks of farmer seed-cooperatives and public breeding programs: the case of sorghum in Mali

Research and development for sorghum and millets in Sub-Saharan Africa: What have we learned?

Farmer preference for selected finger millet (Eleusine coracana) varieties in Rift Valley, Kenya

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