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Rethinking the Farmer's Role in Plant Breeding: Local Bean Experts and On-station Selection in Rwanda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

Louise Sperling ,
Michael E. Loevinsohn  and
Beatrice Ntabomvura
Louise Sperling
Affiliation:
Great Lakes Bean Program, International Center for Tropical Agriculture, BP 259, Butare, Rwanda
Michael E. Loevinsohn
Affiliation:
Applied Ecology Consultants, BP 259, Butare, Rwanda
Beatrice Ntabomvura
Affiliation:
Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda, BP 138, Butare, Rwanda
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Summary

Varietal selection is particularly difficult for very heterogeneous environments where farmers have a range of preferences. To address these issues in Rwanda, local bean experts, generally women, are invited to the research station to assess cultivars and to select those they prefer for their plots. Farmers use observed yield as only one of several criteria to predict varietal performance in their more stressed home environments. The varieties they choose are often higher yielding on-farm and are retained longer by farmers than those selected by the breeders. The results of early farmer involvement also compare favourably with those of the standard breeding programme in terms of enhanced genetic diversity and reduced research costs. There are few pre-conditions for developing such a client-driven breeding programme.

Papel del agricultor en la selección de variedades para una estación inaestigación

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , October 1993 , pp. 509 - 519
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

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