Knowledge Center Catalog

Local cover image
Local cover image

Institutional change and discontinuities in farmers' use of hybrid maize seed and fertilizer in Malawi : findings from the 1996-97 CIMMYT/MoLD Survey

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextLanguage: English Series: CIMMYT Economics Working Paper ; 98-01Publication details: Mexico : CIMMYT, 1998.Description: vi, 37 pagesISSN:
  • 0258-8587
Subject(s): Online resources: Summary: This study records the use of hybrid maize seed and fertilizer by small-scale farmers in Malawi, as well as their opinions about these inputs, from 1989-90 through 1996-97. Its main purpose is to determine whether the principal constraint to smallholders' use of maize hybrids is the acceptability of the hybrid maize germplasm or the institutional reforms and policies affecting its use. The study also provides information about the practice that has implications for the impact of seed technologies and seed industries - the recycling of nonconventional hybrids (i.e., saving seed of an f1 hybrid to plant in subsequent seasons). Findings of the most recent farmer survey in 1996-97 demostrate that the grain quality or yield characteristics of maize hybrids no longer constrain smallholders' use of F1 hybrid seed. Farmers stated almost unanimously that they wanted to grow F1 hybrid seed, but most could not purchase as much seed as they wished. A large number of farmers recycle hybrid seed, which is not surprising, given the early stages of diffusion of hybrid maize in Malawi, the start-stop nature of policies affecting input use, and free seed distributed by the government and NGOs. It may be worthwhile for researchers to investigate prospects for producing hybrids whose characteristics resist deterioration from recycling. Aside from this plant breeding issue, pressing concerns of national maize production, food security, and the welfare of smallholders remain to be addressed. Farmers with the resources to use credit, purchase inputs, grow cash crops, or produce maize surpluses represent a smaller and smaller percentage of farmers. It is doubtful whether complete reliance on private initiatives can transform the smallholder maize sector in a country thar relies on agriculture as much as Malawi, but where infrastructure is inadequate, nonfarm employment opportunities are few, and incentives are insufficient to mobilize trade and generate cash in rural areas.
Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.
Star ratings
    Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)
Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book CIMMYT Knowledge Center: John Woolston Library CIMMYT Publications Collection Look under series title (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 624282
Book CIMMYT Knowledge Center: John Woolston Library CIMMYT Publications Collection Look under series title (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 2 Available 642378
Total holds: 0

Open Access

This study records the use of hybrid maize seed and fertilizer by small-scale farmers in Malawi, as well as their opinions about these inputs, from 1989-90 through 1996-97. Its main purpose is to determine whether the principal constraint to smallholders' use of maize hybrids is the acceptability of the hybrid maize germplasm or the institutional reforms and policies affecting its use. The study also provides information about the practice that has implications for the impact of seed technologies and seed industries - the recycling of nonconventional hybrids (i.e., saving seed of an f1 hybrid to plant in subsequent seasons). Findings of the most recent farmer survey in 1996-97 demostrate that the grain quality or yield characteristics of maize hybrids no longer constrain smallholders' use of F1 hybrid seed. Farmers stated almost unanimously that they wanted to grow F1 hybrid seed, but most could not purchase as much seed as they wished. A large number of farmers recycle hybrid seed, which is not surprising, given the early stages of diffusion of hybrid maize in Malawi, the start-stop nature of policies affecting input use, and free seed distributed by the government and NGOs. It may be worthwhile for researchers to investigate prospects for producing hybrids whose characteristics resist deterioration from recycling. Aside from this plant breeding issue, pressing concerns of national maize production, food security, and the welfare of smallholders remain to be addressed. Farmers with the resources to use credit, purchase inputs, grow cash crops, or produce maize surpluses represent a smaller and smaller percentage of farmers. It is doubtful whether complete reliance on private initiatives can transform the smallholder maize sector in a country thar relies on agriculture as much as Malawi, but where infrastructure is inadequate, nonfarm employment opportunities are few, and incentives are insufficient to mobilize trade and generate cash in rural areas.

Socioeconomics Program

Text in English

LSLinks|R98-99CIMPU|9803|AGRIS 9802|R98CIMPU|R97-98CIMPU|anterior|STAT98|FINAL9798|DSpace 1

CSME01

CIMMYT Publications Collection

4295.jpg

Click on an image to view it in the image viewer

Local cover image

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) © Copyright 2021.
Carretera México-Veracruz. Km. 45, El Batán, Texcoco, México, C.P. 56237.
If you have any question, please contact us at
CIMMYT-Knowledge-Center@cgiar.org