Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design
Uganda is a secondary centre of diversity of sweetpotato with most farmers maintaining at least four varieties in their fields. However, most of these varieties are landraces, with the uptake of improved sweetpotato varieties being quite low in the country, especially among women. Efforts to decre...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
CAB International
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174135 |
| _version_ | 1855521690680819712 |
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| author | Bayiyana, I. Okello, J.J. Ojwang, S.O. Mulwa, C.K. Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Mayanja, S. Ssali, R.T. Namanda, S. Kemigisha, D. Lagerkvist, Carl Johan |
| author_browse | Bayiyana, I. Kemigisha, D. Lagerkvist, Carl Johan Mayanja, S. Mulwa, C.K. Namanda, S. Ojwang, S.O. Okello, J.J. Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Ssali, R.T. |
| author_facet | Bayiyana, I. Okello, J.J. Ojwang, S.O. Mulwa, C.K. Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Mayanja, S. Ssali, R.T. Namanda, S. Kemigisha, D. Lagerkvist, Carl Johan |
| author_sort | Bayiyana, I. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Uganda is a secondary centre of diversity of sweetpotato with most farmers maintaining at least four varieties in their fields.
However, most of these varieties are landraces, with the uptake of improved sweetpotato varieties being quite low in the country,
especially among women. Efforts to decrease the gender technology adoption gap are critical for inclusive impacts of innovations.
This study aims to understand gendered drivers of sourcing and use of sweetpotato varieties among smallholder farmers exposed to
behavioural interventions in Uganda. Key informant interviews (KII), focus group discussions (FGDs) and semi-structured interviews
(SSI) were used to gather baseline information from farmers located in communities that received behavioural interventions. The
results indicate that while men sourced seed-vines mainly from purchasing in the market, women farmers did so mainly from
social networks including fellow farmers or neighbours. Men had higher tendency to source vines from the market likely because
of higher mobility than women. Consumption traits, especially quality characteristics were strongly associated with variety use.
Notably, sweet taste played a big role and was linked to preference for Iboi, Ejumula and Kakamega, the leading varieties. This
was followed by high root yield. The challenges women face in sweetpotato production included limited labour force and shortage
of farm equipment/machinery, lack of timely access to planting material at on-set of rains, and lack of access to affordable/ cost
of improved varieties. These findings highlight the importance of paying attention to both quality and agronomic traits, and not
only the latter, in variety development. They also suggest the need for implementation of effective promotional strategies including
demonstration gardens, technical backstopping to extensionists to equip them, radio talk shows and market linkages. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace174135 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | CAB International |
| publisherStr | CAB International |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1741352025-12-08T10:29:22Z Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design Bayiyana, I. Okello, J.J. Ojwang, S.O. Mulwa, C.K. Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Mayanja, S. Ssali, R.T. Namanda, S. Kemigisha, D. Lagerkvist, Carl Johan sweet potatoes gender seed systems Uganda is a secondary centre of diversity of sweetpotato with most farmers maintaining at least four varieties in their fields. However, most of these varieties are landraces, with the uptake of improved sweetpotato varieties being quite low in the country, especially among women. Efforts to decrease the gender technology adoption gap are critical for inclusive impacts of innovations. This study aims to understand gendered drivers of sourcing and use of sweetpotato varieties among smallholder farmers exposed to behavioural interventions in Uganda. Key informant interviews (KII), focus group discussions (FGDs) and semi-structured interviews (SSI) were used to gather baseline information from farmers located in communities that received behavioural interventions. The results indicate that while men sourced seed-vines mainly from purchasing in the market, women farmers did so mainly from social networks including fellow farmers or neighbours. Men had higher tendency to source vines from the market likely because of higher mobility than women. Consumption traits, especially quality characteristics were strongly associated with variety use. Notably, sweet taste played a big role and was linked to preference for Iboi, Ejumula and Kakamega, the leading varieties. This was followed by high root yield. The challenges women face in sweetpotato production included limited labour force and shortage of farm equipment/machinery, lack of timely access to planting material at on-set of rains, and lack of access to affordable/ cost of improved varieties. These findings highlight the importance of paying attention to both quality and agronomic traits, and not only the latter, in variety development. They also suggest the need for implementation of effective promotional strategies including demonstration gardens, technical backstopping to extensionists to equip them, radio talk shows and market linkages. 2025-03-17 2025-04-10T21:07:28Z 2025-04-10T21:07:28Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174135 en Open Access CAB International Bayiyana, I.; Okello, J.J.; Ojwang, S.; Mulwa, C.; Shikuku, K;, Mayanja, S.; Tendo, S.R.; Sam, N.; Kemigisha, D.; Lagerkvist, C. 2025. Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design. CABI Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1079/cabireviews.2025.0004 |
| spellingShingle | sweet potatoes gender seed systems Bayiyana, I. Okello, J.J. Ojwang, S.O. Mulwa, C.K. Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia Mayanja, S. Ssali, R.T. Namanda, S. Kemigisha, D. Lagerkvist, Carl Johan Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design |
| title | Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design |
| title_full | Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design |
| title_fullStr | Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design |
| title_full_unstemmed | Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design |
| title_short | Variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed: A gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design |
| title_sort | variety use and preferences among smallholder sweetpotato farmers and how best to improve their access to quality seed a gendered perspective and implications for breeding program design |
| topic | sweet potatoes gender seed systems |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174135 |
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