Maize seed choice and perceptions of climate variability among smallholder farmers |
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| Institution: | 1. Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University, 513?N. Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408, USA;2. Department of Geography, Indiana University, Student Building 120, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA;3. School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, SPEA 347, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA;1. McGill University, Department of Geography, 805 Sherbrooke Street West, Room 705, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0B9, Canada;2. Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecology and Restoration, Ministry of Agriculture, 120 Wulanchabu East Street, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010010, China;1. The Environment Group, Colombo, Sri Lanka;2. School of Geography and Development, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210137, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA;1. Institute for Research in Sustainability Science and Technology (IS-UPC), Polytechnic University of Catalonia, 08034 Barcelona, Spain;2. Center for Research in Agrofood Economy and Development (CREDA-UPC-IRTA), Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain;1. Strathmore Business School, Ole Sangale Road, Madaraka, Nairobi, Kenya;2. International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya;3. Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP), Nairobi, Kenya;1. Precision Agriculture for Development, Pilot House, 2 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110, USA;2. Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, 210B Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA |
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| Abstract: | Despite decades of research and interventions, crop yields for smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa are dramatically lower than in developed countries. Attempts to address low yields of staple crops in Africa since the Green Revolution through policies and investments in advanced seed cultivars have had mixed results. Numerous countries have heartily embraced and promoted hybrid cultivars through government subsidy programs and investments in research and seed multiplication. One possible explanation for why these programs have not resulted in more significant yield improvements is the challenge faced by farmers to select cultivars that are suited to their local environmental conditions. The question of what seeds farmers choose is exceptionally complex as it is often affected by local seed availability, the availability of information on seed performance, and the transfer of that information to farmers. At the foundation of this choice are farmers’ perceptions of different seed varieties coupled with their perceptions of climate variability. We examine seed choice in Zambia, a country with decades of hybrid maize seed development and supporting policies. We demonstrate how input subsidy programs and seed market liberalization have led to choice overload and a discontinuity in information exchange between farmers and seed companies. The decision making environment is further complicated by the heterogeneity in growing conditions and its variable impact on seed performance, which complicates characterization of seed duration at the farm level. Perceptions and biases related to climate variability effect seed choice, and potentially lead farmers to make risk averse decisions, which ultimately depress maize yields. |
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| Keywords: | Climate variability Choice overload Perceptions Biases Hybrid maize Zambia |
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