Demand-Driven Technologies for Sustainable Maize ... - IITA

407Table 2. Number and percentage of farmers indicating preferences formaize varieties used in the community seed multiplicationproject conducted in Taraba and Gombe States in Nigeria.1 st year 2 nd year 3 rd yearVarietyNo. % No. % No. %TZL Comp 1 10 20 15 30 20 35TZE Comp 5 5 10 5 10 9 16ACR Pool – 16 17 34 15 30 12 21TZE Comp 3 9 18 5 10 7 12TZEE W1 9 18 10 20 10 17TZEE1 0 0 0 0 0 0Total 50 100 50 100 58* 101 +*Total number of farmers greater than 50 implies multiple responses+Greater than 100 because of rounding off error.was very low. The farmers complained of the complexity and highlabor demand associated with the technology, especially for plantingand fertilizer application. Also the farmers had great diffi culty inunderstanding, identifying and distinguishing the characteristicdifferences between the maize varieties. Initially, the farmers optedto participate in the project with much uncertainty. By the third yearof implementation, the number of participants had almost doubled,as the farmers became more confi dent that seed multiplication had agreat potential as a profi table business.The farmers had strong preferences for the maize varieties used forseed production (Table 2). At the initial stages of the project, ACR Pool-16was the preferred variety. This was due to its relatively high yield potentialand good milling quality. By the third year of the study, however, TZLComp 1 was the preferred variety because it is Striga tolerant.Costs and returns analysisLand use. Average land area allocated to maize seed production inthe fi rst year of the project was 0.5 ha. In the second and third years,however, about 40% of the participating farmers increased the area to1ha while about 14% devoted more than 1ha in the third year. Thetotal land area used for maize seed production has therefore increasedover the last three years, an indication of a high level of acceptance ofthis project by the communities.Labour use. The farmers considered labor as the most importantinput required for maize seed multiplication. According to them, seedproduction requires extra effort to ensure that all the agronomic practicesare adhered to strictly and adequate measure is taken during harvestingand shelling to prevent seed damage. The family labor force could not