Seed exchange among common bean producers in Uganda| Examples of networks that stimulate adoption and market participation

• Main Author: Wilkus, Erin Lynn
• Language: EN
• Published: University of California, Davis 2016
• Subjects: Ecology|Agriculture|Systems science
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10182833

<p> Seed exchange networks represent the patterns and processes of seed movement in society, a fundamental component of crop production with major biological and social implications. These networks can furthermore explain patterns in household willingness to experiment with and adopt new and unusual varieties. This body of research focused on common bean (<i>Phaseolus vulagris</i>) seed exchange networks among household producers in western Uganda, where household producers represented over 70% of the population. Among these household producers, nearly all produced beans for either subsistence or commercial purposes and exchanged seeds through social networks.</p><p> This study provided evidence that regional- and community-level seed exchange networks contributed to unique patterns of seed adoption and adoption-related outcomes. Households with different regional- and community-level seed exchange networks had distinct seed management practices and seed security constraints. Adoption, <i>in situ</i> genetic diversity and evidence of landrace replacement varied across households that participated in different seed exchange networks. Finally, the impact of public sector breeding activities on adoption and household market participation also varied across households that participated in different seed exchange networks.</p><p> The study found a unique example among one community-level seed exchange network (Kakindo Sustainable Cooperative) of seed management practices that achieved both diversification and conservation of bean varieties and stimulated participation in local seed markets. The analysis suggests that a households' ability to simultaneously increase diversity of household seed stocks and conserve landraces was accomplished through a combination of conservative management of the more historically predominant Andean varieties and willingness to adopt and experiment with rare Mesoamerican varieties.</p>