DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers
Increasing farmer adoption of improved crop varieties is a key way to improve agricultural productivity and reduce poverty in low-income countries. Yet in these areas, smallholder farmers’ reported yields for such varieties often fall far short of researchers’ and policymakers’ expectations. What a...
| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | Blog Post |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175578 |
| _version_ | 1855525911263182848 |
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| author | Jovanovic, Nina Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob |
| author_browse | Jovanovic, Nina Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob |
| author_facet | Jovanovic, Nina Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob |
| author_sort | Jovanovic, Nina |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Increasing farmer adoption of improved crop varieties is a key way to improve agricultural productivity and reduce poverty in low-income countries. Yet in these areas, smallholder farmers’ reported yields for such varieties often fall far short of researchers’ and policymakers’ expectations.
What accounts for this gap between the high yield numbers documented in researcher-managed field trials and those reported in practice?
One potential source is the reporting itself. While information on the adoption and yields of improved crop varieties in field trials is carefully collected by researchers, data from farmers’ fields is mainly based on their self-reported recall in household surveys. This raises the question: Is some of the yield gap due to farmers misidentifying crop varieties—confusing improved (higher yielding) with non-improved/“traditional” (lower yielding)?
The question has important implications beyond data gaps. If farmers don’t know they are using an improved variety, they are less likely to use the complementary inputs and practices needed to achieve higher yields, affecting their incomes and livelihoods. |
| format | Blog Post |
| id | CGSpace175578 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1755782025-07-09T19:57:22Z DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers Jovanovic, Nina Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob farmers varieties crops agricultural productivity poverty Increasing farmer adoption of improved crop varieties is a key way to improve agricultural productivity and reduce poverty in low-income countries. Yet in these areas, smallholder farmers’ reported yields for such varieties often fall far short of researchers’ and policymakers’ expectations. What accounts for this gap between the high yield numbers documented in researcher-managed field trials and those reported in practice? One potential source is the reporting itself. While information on the adoption and yields of improved crop varieties in field trials is carefully collected by researchers, data from farmers’ fields is mainly based on their self-reported recall in household surveys. This raises the question: Is some of the yield gap due to farmers misidentifying crop varieties—confusing improved (higher yielding) with non-improved/“traditional” (lower yielding)? The question has important implications beyond data gaps. If farmers don’t know they are using an improved variety, they are less likely to use the complementary inputs and practices needed to achieve higher yields, affecting their incomes and livelihoods. 2025-06-18 2025-07-09T19:57:21Z 2025-07-09T19:57:21Z Blog Post https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175578 en https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2025.103466 Open Access International Food Policy Research Institute Jovanovic, Nina; and Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob. 2025. DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers. IFPRI blog published June 18, 2025. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/dna-testing-reveals-hidden-benefits-of-improved-crop-varieties-for-ethiopian-farmers/ |
| spellingShingle | farmers varieties crops agricultural productivity poverty Jovanovic, Nina Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers |
| title | DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers |
| title_full | DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers |
| title_fullStr | DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers |
| title_full_unstemmed | DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers |
| title_short | DNA testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for Ethiopian farmers |
| title_sort | dna testing reveals hidden benefits of improved crop varieties for ethiopian farmers |
| topic | farmers varieties crops agricultural productivity poverty |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/175578 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jovanovicnina dnatestingrevealshiddenbenefitsofimprovedcropvarietiesforethiopianfarmers AT rickergilbertjacob dnatestingrevealshiddenbenefitsofimprovedcropvarietiesforethiopianfarmers |