Varietal adoption, outcomes and impact.

Abstract

Parallel to the preceding chapter, we synthesize the results of Chapters 6-17 here. The focus is on outcomes and impacts. Outcomes centre on varietal adoption and turnover; impacts refer to changes in on-farm productivity, poverty and food security. Hypotheses from Chapter 3 are revisited at the end of each thematic section. Varietal Adoption By crop The area-weighted grand mean adoption level of improved varieties in Sub-Sharan Africa (SSA) across the 20 crops in the project is 35% (Table 19.1). Two-thirds of the crop entries in Table 19.1 fall below the mean estimate. Starting at the bottom of the table, the limited uptake for improved field pea, which is produced primarily in Ethiopia, is not surprising. Internationally and nationally, field pea is arguably the crop species in Table 19.1 that has had the smallest amount of resources allocated to its improvement. In contrast, both chickpea and lentil have benefited from international agricultural research in the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) since the earlyto-mid-1970s. Although progress has been made, adoption of improved cultivars of both crops is concentrated in small pockets of production regions in Ethiopia where extension programmes have been active (Yigezu et al., 2012a). This apparent location specificity is typical of pulse crops, but it is surprising in light of improved lentil varieties that have reportedly significantly heavier yields than their local counterparts. Adoption levels of faba bean and chickpea are buoyed by a reportedly higher penetration of improved varieties in the Sudan. Indeed, chickpea in the Sudan is the only crop-by-country observation to have been at full adoption level in 2010, albeit on a very small area of 21,000 ha

Pulse Crops for Sustainable Farms in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Crops grown as intercrops may be undercounted in agricultural statistics. At the same time, the area devoted to pigeonpea cultivation is increasing rapidly over large areas of Malawi, the United Republic of Tanzania and Mozambique (Walker et al, 2015). There is strong, site-specific demand for minor legume crop species, as shown by the high market price in Kenya for hyacinth bean (N. Miller, pers.…”

“…In southern and eastern Africa a pigeonpeamaize intercrop has proven to be one of the only consistently profitable and farmer-approved means to grow a pulse such as pigeonpea, which has properties that support soil conservation, while at the same time ensures a consistent supply of maize (Rusinamhodzi et al, 2012). Indeed, the maize-pigeonpea system has increased in area by about 10 percent annually since 2010 in Mozambique, Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania (Walker et al, 2015). This may in part be due to rapid adoption of a medium-duration variety of pigeonpea with large stalks for fuel, and reported tolerance to flower-eating beetles (Orr et al, 2015).…”

Husbands’ and wives’ risk preferences and improved maize adoption in Tanzania

“…IOPVs and hybrids can greatly increase maize yields and profits, but their use is limited in sub-Saharan Africa (Smale, Byerlee, & Jayne, 2013). Recent estimates indicate that improved varieties are used on 44% of maize land in Southern and Eastern Africa (Smale et al, 2013;Walker et al, 2015), with approximately 12% in IOPVs and 32% in hybrids. In Tanzania, estimates range from 22% (Smale et al, 2013) to 35% (Walker et al, 2015), with two-thirds of improved varieties being hybrids.…”

“…Recent estimates indicate that improved varieties are used on 44% of maize land in Southern and Eastern Africa (Smale et al, 2013;Walker et al, 2015), with approximately 12% in IOPVs and 32% in hybrids. In Tanzania, estimates range from 22% (Smale et al, 2013) to 35% (Walker et al, 2015), with two-thirds of improved varieties being hybrids. By comparison, in developed countries, hybrid maize is nearly universally cultivated (Kathage, Kassie, Shiferaw, & Qaim, 2016).…”

New high yielding and disease resistant mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] variety “NIFA Mung-19”

“…This is mainly because of the limited availability of local mungbean varieties with high yield potential as well as strong base for disease resistance, which in turn is the result of narrow genetic base of most of the local varieties. As pulses are grown by the farmers with small land-holdings, the only attractive trait of a new commercial variety is the higher grain yield [2,3], and easy availability of such varieties to the farmers ensures harvesting of benefits from these varieties [4,5]. New seed varieties ensure yield enhancement as well as higher per unit land production as compared to the traditional crop varieties [6].…”