The impact of participatory plant breeding and selection on adoption of improved sweet potato varieties in Uganda

Abstract

A study was done on the impact of participatory plant breeding (PPB) and participatory varietal selection (PVS) on adoption of improved sweetpotato varieties (ISPV) in central Uganda. The study assessed how the two approaches influence farmers’ uptake of the introduced sweetpotato varieties and determined socio-economic, bio-physical and institutional factors that influence the adoption of these improved sweetpotato varieties and their role to households. The target was sweetpotato farmers who participated in the two approaches and those who are sweetpotato growers but did not participate in either of the approaches. In its bid to popularize improved sweetpotato varieties, sweetpotato programmeof the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) employed the two approaches to disseminate the improved sweetpotato varieties among farmers in major sweetpotato growing regions of Uganda. Therefore a survey was carried out in Kiboga, Luweero and Mpigi districts in Uganda. The study was done in areas where the PPB and PVS research activities were implemented to determine the factors that influence likelihood of adoption including farmers’ participation in PPB or PVS.

Data were collected from 180 sweetpotato farmers (60 PPB, 60 PVS and 60 non-participants) using a pre-tested questionnaire. Before administering the individual questionnaire, a participatory rural appraisal was conducted to obtain information not included the individual interviews and to capture the spillover effects. Farmers from non participating subcounties were interviewed separately. Descriptive statistics on the socio-economic characteristics of the households including the usage of sweetpotato proceeds were generated using SPSS software. Using STATA statistical package, logistic regression was executed explaining the factors influencing likelihood of adoption of (ISPV).

Results show that extension services, training related to sweetpotato production, non- farm income; experience and participation in either PPB or PVS significantly influence adoption of ISPV at 1% level of significance. Results also show that PPB approach significantly influences adoption at 5% level while PVS influences at 10% level. Overall 91.7% of farmers who participated in PPB had adopted ISPV while 78.3 who participated in PVS had adopted. The results show that several factors including age, training, experience and non-income influence adoption of ISPV differently in the two approaches. Finally, the study revealed that farmers use proceeds from sweetpotato for different needs which include, expenditure on education, clothing, purchase of animals, medicine, food and land, and other requirements, save, invest in income generating activities, improve housing and others give to spouse.