Fleur B. M. Kilwinger

Maize breeding programmes have developed a new generation of hybrid varieties to improve smallholders’ productivity and enhance climate resilience. However, varietal turnover in Kenya remains low, suggesting that new hybrid maize varieties may not fully address smallholders’ needs or that knowledge about them remains limited. In this exploratory study, we applied a method referred to as means-end chains to understand the attributes smallholders consider when differentiating maize seed products, and the importance and value of these attributes. We interviewed 82 smallholders in two counties in Kenya and analysed the data by county and gender. Smallholders used a range of attributes to differentiate maize seed products, indicating familiarity with most maize varieties included in the study. However, the attributes that farmers used to distinguish between maize seed products were not always those of highest value when choosing seeds for planting. Preferences for attributes differed between counties and were shaped by climate and the importance of maize in livelihoods. Women and men used and preferred similar attributes, yet their choices were informed by different underlying motivations and values. Overall, participants highly valued ‘higher yield’, ‘harvest assurance’ and ‘earliness’, reflecting diverse household uses of maize to support food security, income generation and well-being. The findings suggest that farmers use a portfolio of maize varieties to meet different household needs. These results have implications for efforts to promote varietal turnover and complement previous studies by offering guidance for demand-led breeding programmes and other seed systems actors working to strengthen food security for smallholder farmers.

Improving the quality of seed potatoes that smallholder farmers plant continues to represent one of the most important challenges of the potato sector in most developing countries to counter the long-lasting poor yields. This study aimed to better understand the way farmers choose seed potato by exploring the attributes they look for and the benefits they expect from them. We used means-end chains analysis in combination with Kelly’s repertory grid as an elicitation technique and disaggregated data for male and female partners. In total, farmers named 38 attributes they look for when selecting seeds. Farmers associate “good” seeds to those that are well-sprouted, have many eyes, are of a variety they know, are medium in size, are certified, and are undamaged. Most preferred attributes lead to a higher yield and consequently higher income which is the most predominant avenue for farmers to achieve their desired values in life. Female farmers mentioned fewer attributes and also pursued fewer values than their male counterparts. Users and non-users of certified seed were shown to use the same attributes to select their potato seeds. Non-users of certified seed thus seem to be aware of the benefits of certified seed even though they are not using it. The results from this study indicate that increasing the availability of certified seed is not necessarily a straightforward way of improving the quality of seed potato planted by Kenyan smallholder farmers.

Root, tuber, and banana (RT&B) crops are critical for global food security. They are vegetatively propagated crops (VPCs) sharing common features: low reproductive rates, bulky planting materials, and vulnerability to accumulating and spreading pathogens and pests through seed. These crops are difficult to breed, so new varieties may be released slowly relative to new emerging threats. VPC seed systems are complex and face several challenges: poor-quality seed of existing varieties, low adoption rates of improved varieties, and slow varietal turnover, limiting yield increases and farmers’ ability to adapt to new threats and opportunities. Addressing these challenges requires first identifying key knowledge gaps on seed systems to guide research for development in a holistic and coherent way. Working together across 10 crops and 26 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America, the CGIAR seed systems research community has developed a “Toolbox for Working with Root, Tuber, and Banana Seed Systems,” which introduces 11 tools and a glossary to address four major gaps: (1) capturing the demand characteristics of different types of farmers; (2) identifying effective seed delivery pathways; (3) ensuring seed health and stopping the spread of disease; and (4) designing effective policies and regulations. We describe the toolbox and its creation and validation across 76 crop-and-country use cases, and illustrate how the tools, applied individually or in combination, are addressing the key knowledge gaps in RT&B seed systems. The tool developers are actively working to scale the toolbox, including identifying new partners and models for collaboration, developing new tools, and supporting new applications in VPCs, as well as for fruit, vegetable, grain, and pulse seed systems.

The overdependency on local cassava varieties and informal seed sources by farmers in Rwanda has contributed to the spread of cassava viral diseases. The use of improved planting materials made available through formal seed sources, that assure seed quality, is one way to prevent future disease outbreaks. In order to increase the availability of, and farmers access to, such materials there is increasing interest to develop seed business models. This study aims to understand seed sourcing practices of different farm typologies to inform the development of tailored seed business models. A total of 390 farmers were interviewed and the collected data was analyzed into clusters, resulting in seven farm typologies. Seed sourcing strategies, seed replacement dynamics and purchasing behavior of these typologies were explored via a seed tracing study. We find that more commercial oriented farmers have better access to formal seed sources. Nevertheless, the majority of farmers in all typologies accessed new varieties and quality cassava seed via informal channels. At both formal and informal sources, cash investments in seed were mainly made by the categories of better-off farmers, and were one-time investments to acquire a new variety. Based on farmers current seed sourcing practices, clarifications on the differences between farmers and their willingness-to-pay, the roles of seed degeneration, cost-benefit analysis, value propositions and profit formulas seem important requirements for the further development of viable cassava seed business models. We conclude that tailoring seed business models can have a high potential as it acknowledges differences among farmers, but that careful coordination is needed to ensure that one approach or intervention does not contrast with and/or undermine the others.

Means‐end chain analysis has been applied in a wide range of disciplines to understand consumer behavior. Despite its widespread acceptance there is no standardized method to analyze data. The effects of different analyses on the results are largely unknown. This paper makes a contribution to the methodological debate by comparing different ways to analyze means‐end chain data. We find that (1) a construct that is not mentioned can still be important to a respondent; (2) coding constructs at the same basic level or condensing constructs at a superordinate level lead to different results and both an increase and decrease of information; (3) aggregating data can be based on different algorithms which influences the results. Among available software packages there is no consistency in the used algorithm; (4) before applying means‐end chain analysis in a new research area the validity of assumptions underlying the research model should be evaluated. We conclude there is no universal “best way” to means‐end chain analysis, the most suitable approach depends on the research question. Research concerning how products are evaluated can best apply number‐of‐respondents‐based aggregation and low levels of condensation. Research concerning why products are valued can best apply frequency‐of‐responses‐based aggregation and high levels of condensation.

The adoption of improved seed and other planting material in developing countries shows mixed results despite their potential to increase agricultural productivity. To arrive at a better understanding of the observed adoption rates, a lot of research is focused on finding the cultivars and variety traits that are attractive to farmers. Given smallholder farmers’ seed sourcing practices are often influenced by social ties and cultural norms, it is also relevant to understand where and why farmers seek to acquire planting material. In this study, means-end chain analysis was applied to understand farmers’ perceptions of formal and informal sources of banana planting material. Means-end chain analysis allows respondents to select and verbalize their own constructs to evaluate a product or service. These personally relevant constructs are subsequently linked to their personal goals via laddering interviews. We interviewed 31 Ugandan banana farmers from Western and Central region. Farmers associated formal sources mainly with improved cultivars, tissue culture plantlets and low levels of diversity. Informal seed sources were mostly associated with traditional cultivars, suckers and high levels of diversity. The goals farmers pursued while acquiring planting material, such as financial gains, food security, and to sustain and develop the household, were fairly similar among different groups of farmers. The means through which farmers aimed and preferred to pursue these goals differed and could be related to aspects such as gender, production scale and production goals. These differences among farmers preferences for particular sources indicate that not only cultivar traits should be tailored to farmers’ preferences and needs, but also the characteristics of the sources from which farmers access planting material.

Formal seed systems aim to provide farmers with high-quality planting material that meets evolving demands and cultivation challenges. East African banana (Musa sp.) systems rely strongly on informal seed exchange. For seed system interventions to have a larger and more sustainable impact in such a context, it is necessary to better understand the informal seed system. We studied the management and replacement dynamics around banana suckers and mats by smallholder farmers in Central Uganda. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussions (n = 4) and semi-structured interviews (n = 23). This study showed that, on average, banana farmers grew 10 different banana cultivars to ensure year-round harvesting and to accommodate multiple consumption and cultural needs. They included cultivars from the formal seed system within their portfolios of banana cultivars while also conserving cultivar diversity. Farmers used a broad array of evaluation criteria to select suckers and preferred to use known sources to assure plant quality. Household characteristics, such as age or wealth, are determinants of mat management and replacement. We concluded that a flexible blend of formal-informal approaches to developing the banana seed system is needed to meet the multiple needs of farm households and to support them in improving productivity and dealing with emerging challenges.