Drought tolerant maize for farmer adaptation to drought in sub-Saharan Africa: Determinants of adoption in eastern and southern Africa
Drought tolerant maize for farmer adaptation to drought in sub-Saharan Africa: Determinants of adoption in eastern and southern Africa
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DOI：
10.1007/s10584-015-1459-2
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发表时间：
2015-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Madulu, Ruth B.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Fisher, Monica;Abate, Tsedeke;Madulu, Ruth B.
在撒哈拉以南非洲，“玉米就是生命”，因为它对粮食安全和经济福祉至关重要。非洲大约40%的玉米种植面积偶尔会面临干旱压力，导致产量损失10- 25%。大约25%的玉米作物经常遭受干旱，损失高达一半的收成。为了减少脆弱性和提高粮食安全，非洲耐旱玉米项目在2007年至2013年期间发布了160种耐旱玉米品种。这些技术已在试验田和农民的田地中进行了试验，并通过国家农业研究系统和私营种子公司向13个非洲国家的农民传播。新品种的产量在胁迫和最佳生长条件下均上级目前可用的商业玉米品种。虽然人们一再预测DT玉米对非洲农民的好处，但这些好处的实现取决于农民的接受程度，而这方面的实证研究有限。我们使用来自六个国家（埃塞俄比亚，坦桑尼亚，乌干达，马拉维，赞比亚和津巴布韦）的3，700个农户调查的新地块数据来衡量DT玉米的采用率及其决定因素。数据显示，农民对DT玉米的吸收存在相当大的国家间差异，从津巴布韦的9%到马拉维的61%。采用的主要障碍包括无法获得改良种子、信息不足、缺乏资源、种子价格高以及不同品种的感知属性。根据研究结果，我们建议种子公司和农业经销商确保当地市场有足够的DT玉米种子供应，并以负担得起的微型包装（1或2公斤）出售种子。此外，DTMA项目和合作伙伴应加大宣传力度，确保人们广泛认识和理解DT玉米新品种的好处。
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), "maize is life," due to its importance to food security and economic wellbeing. Around 40 % of Africa's maize-growing area faces occasional drought stress, resulting in yield losses of 10-25 %. Around 25 % of the maize crop suffers frequent drought, with losses of up to half the harvest. To reduce vulnerability and improve food security, the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) project has made releases of 160 drought tolerant (DT) maize varieties between 2007 and 2013. These have been tested in experimental and farmers' fields, and disseminated to farmers in 13 African countries through national agricultural research systems and private seed companies. Yields of the new varieties are superior to those of currently available commercial maize varieties under both stress and optimum growing conditions. Although the benefits of DT maize for African farmers have been repeatedly predicted, realization of those benefits depends on farmer uptake, which has received limited empirical study. We use new plot-level data from surveys of 3,700 farm households in six countries (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) to measure DT maize adoption rates and their determinants. The data reveal considerable inter-country variation in farmer uptake of DT maize, from 9 % of maize plots in Zimbabwe to 61 % in Malawi. The major barriers to adoption include unavailability of improved seed, inadequate information, lack of resources, high seed price, and perceived attributes of different varieties. Based on the results, we recommend that seed companies and agro-dealers ensure adequate supply of DT maize seed in local markets and sell seed in affordable micro-packs (1 or 2 kg). Furthermore, the DTMA project and partners should ramp up promotional efforts to ensure widespread awareness and understanding of the benefits of the new DT maize varieties.