Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India

Potato remains a crucial crop for achieving India’s food security goals and generating income for small-scale farmers. But India, the largest potato producer after China, remains behind many of its peers in attaining high yield. A low varietal replacement rate could be one of the major reasons for l...

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Main Authors: Sharma, Kriti, Kumar, Anjani, Kumar, Nalini Ranjan
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152446
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author Sharma, Kriti
Kumar, Anjani
Kumar, Nalini Ranjan
author_browse Kumar, Anjani
Kumar, Nalini Ranjan
Sharma, Kriti
author_facet Sharma, Kriti
Kumar, Anjani
Kumar, Nalini Ranjan
author_sort Sharma, Kriti
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Potato remains a crucial crop for achieving India’s food security goals and generating income for small-scale farmers. But India, the largest potato producer after China, remains behind many of its peers in attaining high yield. A low varietal replacement rate could be one of the major reasons for low yield in India. This critical issue warrants investigation, yet empirical results remain limited in the Indian context. Drawing on data from a comprehensive field survey of 892 potato growing farmers conducted in 2018–19 across five major potato-producing states in India, we find the determinants of the average area-weighted age of potato varieties used, and their impact on potato yield. The instrumental variable regression analysis establishes a negative association between varietal age and yield of potato. It also underscores the importance of access to weather forecast and linkages with agricultural organizations to achieve higher yield. Furthermore, it shows that household size, links to political party, and information about new seeds from friends, progressive farmers and input dealers are associated with lower varietal age. These insights will be instrumental for policymakers and potato breeders in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and boosting food security in India amidst the impending demographic challenges.
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spelling CGSpace1524462025-11-06T05:53:05Z Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India Sharma, Kriti Kumar, Anjani Kumar, Nalini Ranjan crop yield food security policy innovation potato harvesters regression analysis Potato remains a crucial crop for achieving India’s food security goals and generating income for small-scale farmers. But India, the largest potato producer after China, remains behind many of its peers in attaining high yield. A low varietal replacement rate could be one of the major reasons for low yield in India. This critical issue warrants investigation, yet empirical results remain limited in the Indian context. Drawing on data from a comprehensive field survey of 892 potato growing farmers conducted in 2018–19 across five major potato-producing states in India, we find the determinants of the average area-weighted age of potato varieties used, and their impact on potato yield. The instrumental variable regression analysis establishes a negative association between varietal age and yield of potato. It also underscores the importance of access to weather forecast and linkages with agricultural organizations to achieve higher yield. Furthermore, it shows that household size, links to political party, and information about new seeds from friends, progressive farmers and input dealers are associated with lower varietal age. These insights will be instrumental for policymakers and potato breeders in promoting sustainable agricultural practices and boosting food security in India amidst the impending demographic challenges. 2024-09-27 2024-09-27T21:53:31Z 2024-09-27T21:53:31Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152446 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Sharma, Kriti; Kumar, Anjani; and Kumar, Nalini Ranjan. 2024. Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2280. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152446
spellingShingle crop yield
food security
policy innovation
potato harvesters
regression analysis
Sharma, Kriti
Kumar, Anjani
Kumar, Nalini Ranjan
Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India
title Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India
title_full Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India
title_fullStr Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India
title_full_unstemmed Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India
title_short Varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield: Evidence from household surveys in India
title_sort varietal turnover in potato and its effect on yield evidence from household surveys in india
topic crop yield
food security
policy innovation
potato harvesters
regression analysis
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/152446
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AT kumarnaliniranjan varietalturnoverinpotatoanditseffectonyieldevidencefromhouseholdsurveysinindia