Varietal turn-over and their effect on yield and food security – Evidence from 20 years of household surveys in Kenya
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Date
2023
Authors
Groote, Hugo De
Omondi, Lumumba Brian
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Economic Research Consortium
Abstract
Agricultural technology is key to food security in SSA, but new maize varieties are not able to replace the old,
trusted ones. This study uses data from four representative household surveys conducted in Kenya over 21 years,
to show that younger maize varieties have a clear, although limited, effect on yield (4 kg/ha/year controlling for
fertilizer) and food security. Unfortunately, this is not sufficient to entice farmers to adopt them, and adoption
rates have barely increased despite the market liberalization that brought many private seed companies and their
varieties in the market, as the parastatal Kenya Seed Company continues to dominate the market. As a result, in
combination with low fertilizer use, yields have stagnated for the last three decennia.
Description
Keywords
Adoption Maize Kenya Varietal turnover