Four Seasons of Learning and Engaging Smallholder Farmers - icrisat

Figure 6-1: Annual rates of growth for common bean yields in selected countries, 1985-2007 (computed from
FAOSTAT 2008)
Biophysical constraints
Drought is by far the most important common bean production constraint experienced by farmers in
Ethiopia and Kenya (Table 6-1). The problem of drought interacts with other biophysical constraints
such as declined soil fertility and pests and diseases to reduce yield growth. Estimates based on farmers’
experiences with and without drought suggest that on average, each producer in Ethiopia expects to lose
about 22% of annual harvest to drought while farmers in eastern Kenya expect to lose 43% of the total
harvest. The problem of biophysical constraints, particularly drought, is further exacerbated by land- and
labor-related problems. Average land holding is estimated at about 2.5 ha in the central rift valley of
Ethiopia, about 1.7 ha in southern region of Ethiopia and about 1.7 ha in eastern Kenya (Table 6-2). These
farmers grow a diversity of crops to manage the production risks (associated with drought, low access
to non-farm income opportunities and credit assets [Table 6-2]), which in turn competes for the small
landholdings and family labor. Small landholdings and crop diversification mean that use of traditional
land fallowing can no longer be feasible. Future remedies should include land productivity enhancing
agronomic practices such as use of inorganic and/or organic fertilizers and integrated pest and disease
management options as integral elements of integrated crop management. Pest and disease constraints are
ranked highly by farmers in both countries as directly limiting common bean production (Table 6-1) and
indirectly as a source of risk that limits seed purchases, particularly in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia.
Seed accessibility problems
Poor access to seed of the desired variety is another important constraint limiting common bean
production in Ethiopia and Kenya. The problem of seed accessibility manifests itself in several different
but related forms that re-enforce each other. According to farmers in both countries, good quality seed
is either not available in the farming communities, or when available, too expensive for small farmers
to afford. At the time of the baseline study, farmers interested in acquiring new varieties had to travel an
average of 15 km to reach the point of acquisition, evidence of large transaction cost given the limited
means of transportation faced by these farmers. Problems on the demand side include high levels of
poverty and risk aversion. In Kenya, some farmers explained that they cannot purchase seed because
their soils are poor and yields will not support the extra costs. Furthermore, common bean is a self
pollinated crop that can be recycled over several seasons, which means that demand for its seed cannot
be easily predicted by the potential suppliers. Such uncertainty on the demand side implies that the
private sector will always under invest in seed multiplication and distribution, causing market failures.
Progress of Phase 1
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