IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i10p3708-d175919.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Nodal Farmers’ Motivations for Exchanging Sorghum Seeds in Northwestern Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Christophe Rodier

    (Farming Systems Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands)

  • Paul C. Struik

    (Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands)

Abstract

One of the main challenges of Ethiopian agriculture is the shortage of certified seeds of improved varieties, which results in uneven dispersal of quality seed amongst farmers. In a context where 80% to 90% of the seed requirement is covered by the informal seed sector, understanding how and why seeds are exchanged through informal channels is crucial. This study aims to describe why nodal farmers disseminate seeds at a higher rate than other farmers in their network. Following a social network analysis, in-depth surveys were conducted with identified nodal and connector sorghum farmers in order to determine the main social characteristics that differentiate them from other farmers in a western lowlands community of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. We examined empirically the main factors that motivate them, the main drawbacks they experience, and the behavioral decisions that could potentially speed up or slow down the adoption of newly released improved varieties of sorghum. The study showed that, in this district, few significant socio-demographic differences exist between nodal and non-nodal farmers. The seed exchange network was hyper localized, as the majority of exchanges took place within village boundaries. Focus group discussions showed that a nodal position should not be taken for granted, as the network is dynamic and in constant evolution. In-depth interviews revealed that it was unlikely for accessing farmers to be consistently denied seeds due to a deeply rooted social norm insisting that one should not, under any circumstances, be turned down when asking for seeds. However, in practice, chronic seed insecure farmers suffering from poor performances may find themselves unable to access quality seeds, as automatic support should not be assumed. In terms of motivation, nodal farmers ranked maintaining friendships and relationships as the two most important. Thus, beyond the risk-sharing mechanism underlying much of the seed exchange, it is a mix of personal and community interests that motivates nodal farmers to have more exchange partners and thus disseminate more seeds on average than other farmers in the seed networks. This indicates that their social capital is the major driver to exchange seeds.

Suggested Citation

  • Christophe Rodier & Paul C. Struik, 2018. "Nodal Farmers’ Motivations for Exchanging Sorghum Seeds in Northwestern Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-15, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3708-:d:175919
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/10/3708/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/10/3708/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ricciardi, Vincent, 2015. "Social seed networks: Identifying central farmers for equitable seed access," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 110-121.
    2. Shawn McGuire & Louise Sperling, 2016. "Seed systems smallholder farmers use," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(1), pages 179-195, February.
    3. Bekele A. Shiferaw & Tewodros A. Kebede & Liang You, 2008. "Technology adoption under seed access constraints and the economic impacts of improved pigeonpea varieties in Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 39(3), pages 309-323, November.
    4. Evelyne Kiptot & Steven Franzel, 2014. "Voluntarism as an investment in human, social and financial capital: evidence from a farmer-to-farmer extension program in Kenya," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(2), pages 231-243, June.
    5. Shawn McGuire & Louise Sperling, 2016. "Seed systems smallholder farmers use," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(1), pages 179-195, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Luz P. Llamas-Guzmán & Elena Lazos Chavero & Hugo R. Perales Rivera & Alejandro Casas, 2022. "Seed Exchange Networks of Native Maize, Beans, and Squash in San Juan Ixtenco and San Luis Huamantla, Tlaxcala, Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-34, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chrispin Sunganani Kaphaika & Samson Pilanazo Katengeza & Innocent Pangapanga-Phiri & Madalitso Happy Chambukira, 2023. "More Interventions, Low Adoption: To What Extent Are the Existing Seed Sources to Blame? The Case of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato in Central and Northern Malawi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, September.
    2. Thomas Pircher & Conny J. M. Almekinders, 2021. "Making sense of farmers’ demand for seed of root, tuber and banana crops: a systematic review of methods," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(5), pages 1285-1301, October.
    3. Mabaya, Edward & Kachule, Richard & Waithaka, Michael & Mugoya, Mainza & Kanyenji, George & Tihanyi, Krisztina, 2021. "Malawi Country Report 2020," TASAI: The African Seed Access Index-Reports 317014, TASAI: The African Seed Access Index.
    4. Paul Rachkara & David Paul Phillips & Stephen Wamala Kalule & Richard William Gibson, 2017. "Innovative and beneficial informal sweetpotato seed private enterprise in northern Uganda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 9(3), pages 595-610, June.
    5. Paul Vincelli, 2016. "Genetic Engineering and Sustainable Crop Disease Management: Opportunities for Case-by-Case Decision-Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-22, May.
    6. Myat Thida Win & Mywish K. Maredia & Duncan Boughton, 2023. "Farmer demand for certified legume seeds and the viability of farmer seed enterprises: Evidence from Myanmar," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(2), pages 555-569, April.
    7. Louise Sperling & Conny J. M. Almekinders, 2023. "Informal Commercial Seed Systems: Leave, Suppress or Support Them?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-14, September.
    8. Yingjie Song & Qiong Fang & Devra Jarvis & Keyu Bai & Dongmei Liu & Jinchao Feng & Chunlin Long, 2019. "Network Analysis of Seed Flow, a Traditional Method for Conserving Tartary Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum tataricum ) Landraces in Liangshan, Southwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-14, August.
    9. Lilian Nkengla-Asi & Favour Eforuoku & Olamide Olaosebikan & Temitope Adejoju Ladigbolu & Delphine Amah & Rachid Hanna & P. Lava Kumar, 2021. "Gender Roles in Sourcing and Sharing of Banana Planting Material in Communities with and without Banana Bunchy Top Disease in Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-14, March.
    10. Julius Okello & Yuan Zhou & Ian Barker & Elmar Schulte-Geldermann, 2019. "Motivations and Mental Models Associated with Smallholder Farmers’ Adoption of Improved Agricultural Technology: Evidence from Use of Quality Seed Potato in Kenya," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 31(2), pages 271-292, April.
    11. Van Campenhout, B. & Spielman, D. & Lecoutere, E., 2018. "The Role of Gender in ICT-mediated Agricultural Information Campaigns," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277438, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Emerick, Kyle, 2018. "Trading frictions in Indian village economies," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 32-56.
    13. Karl S. Zimmerer & Stef Haan, 2020. "Informal food chains and agrobiodiversity need strengthening—not weakening—to address food security amidst the COVID-19 crisis in South America," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 891-894, August.
    14. Labeyrie, Vanesse & Friedman, Rachel S. & Donnet, Sophie & Faye, Ndeye Fatou & Cobelli, Océane & Baggio, Jacopo & Felipe-Lucia, María R. & Raimond, Christine, 2023. "Linking seed networks and crop diversity contributions to people: A case study in small-scale farming systems in Sahelian Senegal," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    15. Louise Sperling, 2020. "Seed security response during COVID-19: building on evidence and orienting to the future," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(4), pages 885-889, August.
    16. Ola Tveitereid Westengen & Kristine Skarbø & Teshome Hunduma Mulesa & Trygve Berg, 2018. "Access to genes: linkages between genebanks and farmers’ seed systems," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(1), pages 9-25, February.
    17. de Boef, Walter S. & Borman, Gareth D. & Gupta, Arnab & Subedi, Abishkar & Thijssen, Marja H. & Ayana Aga, Amsalu & Hassena Beko, Mohammed & Thein, Swe Zin Myint & Thein, Win & Okelola, Folarin & Olus, 2021. "Rapid assessments of the impact of COVID-19 on the availability of quality seed to farmers: Advocating immediate practical, remedial and preventative action," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    18. Megan Mucioki & Bernard Pelletier & Timothy Johns & Lutta W. Muhammad & Gordon M. Hickey, 2018. "On developing a scale to measure chronic household seed insecurity in semi-arid Kenya and the implications for food security policy," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(3), pages 571-587, June.
    19. Mastewal Yami & Piet Asten, 2018. "Relevance of informal institutions for achieving sustainable crop intensification in Uganda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(1), pages 141-150, February.
    20. Corales, Aurora M. & Santos, Royette C. & Banayo, Niño M.C. & Bueno, Crisanta S. & Johnson, David E. & Kato, Yoichiro, 2019. "Dissemination pathways for drought-tolerant rice cultivars: A farmer-participatory evaluation in the Philippines," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 1-1.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3708-:d:175919. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.