Rural seed sector development through participatory varietal selectionSynergies and trade-offs in seed provision services and market participation among household bean producers in Western Uganda

摘要

Purpose - This impact assessment provides empirical evidence from household producer surveys to test assumptions surrounding the contribution of participatory varietal selection (PVS) activities on seed se development. The purpose of this paper is tofocus on household access and adoption of common t varieties from seed provision services and local markets to determine if, and under what social conditi PVS activities stimulated seed uptake and market participation.Design/methodology/approach - The propensity score matching technique and simple regres; analysis were used to estimate the impact and compare household performance across three farmer grc located in Hoima, Uganda.Findings - PVS increased access to and adoption of improved varieties and supported additii intermediate development outcomes when farmer group characteristics were aligned with PVS eff< Specifically, PVS was more likely to stimulate market purchases ofnewly introduced varieties in the far group located closest to markets. The project did not however, improve all the development objectives were evaluated. PVS most critically, did not increase the probability that households received the spe varieties they desired.Research limitations/implications - This study found that PVS can support the key pillars of seed se development In addition to increasing household access to new varieties, free seed dissemination promi market participation and stimulated local seed market development.Originality/value - This study addressed the need to consider intermediate development outcomes in impact assessments of development interventions. The findings clarified the contribution of PVS in the context of broader development goalsand identified farmer group dynamics associated with enhanced impacts among rural producers in Uganda.