From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions

This brief examines how production and consumption traits, seed access, and gender dynamics are associated with smallholder farmers’ adoption and disadoption of newly bred crop varieties across five countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Using qualitative data from focus group discussions a...

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Autores principales: Moore, Maya, Tchuente, Hubert Noel Takam, Trachtman, Carly, Kramer, Berber, Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: CGIAR Science Program on Breeding for Tomorrow 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180036
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author Moore, Maya
Tchuente, Hubert Noel Takam
Trachtman, Carly
Kramer, Berber
Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team
author_browse Kramer, Berber
Moore, Maya
Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team
Tchuente, Hubert Noel Takam
Trachtman, Carly
author_facet Moore, Maya
Tchuente, Hubert Noel Takam
Trachtman, Carly
Kramer, Berber
Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team
author_sort Moore, Maya
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This brief examines how production and consumption traits, seed access, and gender dynamics are associated with smallholder farmers’ adoption and disadoption of newly bred crop varieties across five countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Using qualitative data from focus group discussions and interviews conducted under the CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow Science Program, we compare participants’ experiences with two complementary interventions: seed trial packs (STPs), which allow farmers to plant new varieties, and consumption-focused activities, such as cooking demonstrations and food product evaluation. The results show that, although consumption traits, such as taste, texture, and color, shape household preferences, production traits, particularly yield and pest resistance, remain the dominant drivers of adoption, especially among men, who often control planting decisions. Qualitative findings indicate that STPs could play an important role in varietal turnover by easing initial seed access and supporting seed recycling and diffusion through local networks, compared with consumer-focused activities. The findings further highlight that feedback on certain consumption traits comes mainly from women, given their central role in processing and preparation, yet their limited decision-making power reduces the influence of these preferences on variety uptake. This underscores the importance of coupling seed access strategies with gender-inclusive and gender-transformative, as well as market-aware, approaches to accelerate and sustain varietal access and thus turnover in smallholder systems.
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institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
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publisherStr CGIAR Science Program on Breeding for Tomorrow
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spelling CGSpace1800362026-01-19T06:08:57Z From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions Moore, Maya Tchuente, Hubert Noel Takam Trachtman, Carly Kramer, Berber Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team consumers smallholders adoption uganda kenya india nigeria ethiopia varietal turnover seed access sweet potatoes maize teff wheat cowpeas beans groundnuts green gram This brief examines how production and consumption traits, seed access, and gender dynamics are associated with smallholder farmers’ adoption and disadoption of newly bred crop varieties across five countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Using qualitative data from focus group discussions and interviews conducted under the CGIAR Breeding for Tomorrow Science Program, we compare participants’ experiences with two complementary interventions: seed trial packs (STPs), which allow farmers to plant new varieties, and consumption-focused activities, such as cooking demonstrations and food product evaluation. The results show that, although consumption traits, such as taste, texture, and color, shape household preferences, production traits, particularly yield and pest resistance, remain the dominant drivers of adoption, especially among men, who often control planting decisions. Qualitative findings indicate that STPs could play an important role in varietal turnover by easing initial seed access and supporting seed recycling and diffusion through local networks, compared with consumer-focused activities. The findings further highlight that feedback on certain consumption traits comes mainly from women, given their central role in processing and preparation, yet their limited decision-making power reduces the influence of these preferences on variety uptake. This underscores the importance of coupling seed access strategies with gender-inclusive and gender-transformative, as well as market-aware, approaches to accelerate and sustain varietal access and thus turnover in smallholder systems. 2025-12 2026-01-18T08:24:17Z 2026-01-18T08:24:17Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180036 en Open Access application/pdf CGIAR Science Program on Breeding for Tomorrow Moore, Maya; Tchuente, Hubert Noel Takam; Trachtman, Carly; Kramer, Berber; and Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team. 2025. Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team. Market Intelligence Brief Series 34, Montpellier: CGIAR.
spellingShingle consumers
smallholders
adoption
uganda
kenya
india
nigeria
ethiopia
varietal turnover
seed access
sweet potatoes
maize
teff
wheat
cowpeas
beans
groundnuts
green gram
Moore, Maya
Tchuente, Hubert Noel Takam
Trachtman, Carly
Kramer, Berber
Qualitative Behavioral Intelligence Research Team
From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions
title From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions
title_full From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions
title_fullStr From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions
title_full_unstemmed From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions
title_short From field to table: How promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers’ planting decisions
title_sort from field to table how promoting new crop varieties via seed trial packs and consumer focused activities influences smallholder farmers planting decisions
topic consumers
smallholders
adoption
uganda
kenya
india
nigeria
ethiopia
varietal turnover
seed access
sweet potatoes
maize
teff
wheat
cowpeas
beans
groundnuts
green gram
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180036
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