IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/gii/ciesrp/cies_rp_46.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Transfer of improved varieties in informal markets and the diffusion of embedded innovation: experimentation with genetic resources in Uganda

Author

Listed:
  • Martina Bozzola
  • Tim Swanson
  • Helena Ting

Abstract

We look at the diffusion of seed technology among Ugandan farmers. We present a target-input model to conceptualize the adoption decisions of a new technology in which the best use of inputs is unknown. In this framework, there is path dependency in the adoption process. We show that the group of innovators is well-defined but too small to overcome the system’s inertia. We find little evidence that seed policy reforms implemented in Uganda in the past 20 years boosted agricultural productivity, largely on account of a lack of local experimentation and inadequate use and diffusion of new seed varieties.

Suggested Citation

  • Martina Bozzola & Tim Swanson & Helena Ting, 2016. "Transfer of improved varieties in informal markets and the diffusion of embedded innovation: experimentation with genetic resources in Uganda," CIES Research Paper series 46-2016, Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:gii:ciesrp:cies_rp_46
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://repec.graduateinstitute.ch/pdfs/ciesrp/CIES_RP_46.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. John Herbert Ainembabazi & Johnny Mugisha, 2014. "The Role of Farming Experience on the Adoption of Agricultural Technologies: Evidence from Smallholder Farmers in Uganda," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(5), pages 666-679, May.
    2. Eaton, Derek J.F. & Tripp, Robert & Louwaars, Niels P., 2006. "The Effects of Strengthened IPR Regimes on the Plant Breeding Sector in Developing Countries," 2006 Annual Meeting, August 12-18, 2006, Queensland, Australia 25455, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Marenya, Paswel Phiri & Barrett, Christopher B., 2009. "The effect of soil quality on fertilizer use rates among smallholder farmers in western Kenya," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 51671, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. David Sapsford & John-ren Chen (ed.), 1998. "Development Economics and Policy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-349-26769-9, October.
    5. Paswel P. Marenya & Christopher B. Barrett, 2009. "Soil quality and fertilizer use rates among smallholder farmers in western Kenya," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(5), pages 561-572, September.
    6. Kijima, Yoko & Otsuka, Keijiro & Sserunkuuma, Dick, 2011. "An Inquiry into Constraints on a Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of NERICA Rice in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 77-86, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Kasirye, Ibrahim, 2013. "Constraints to Agricultural Technology Adoption in Uganda: Evidence from the 2005/06-2009/10 Uganda National Panel Survey," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 8(2), pages 1-18, August.
    2. Ragasa, Catherine & Chapoto, Anthony, 2016. "Limits to green revolution in rice in Africa: The case of Ghana:," IFPRI discussion papers 1561, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Lambrecht, Isabel & Vanlauwe, Bernard & Merckx, Roel & Maertens, Miet, 2014. "Understanding the Process of Agricultural Technology Adoption: Mineral Fertilizer in Eastern DR Congo," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 132-146.
    4. Awudu Abdulai, 2023. "Information acquisition and the adoption of improved crop varieties," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(4), pages 1049-1062, August.
    5. Mathenge, Mary K. & Smale, Melinda & Olwande, John, 2012. "The Impact of Maize Hybrids on Income, Poverty, and Inequality among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya," Food Security International Development Working Papers 146931, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    6. Berazneva, Julia & McBride, Linden & Sheahan, Megan & Güereña, David, 2018. "Empirical assessment of subjective and objective soil fertility metrics in east Africa: Implications for researchers and policy makers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 367-382.
    7. Jeremy Foltz & Ursula Aldana & Paul Laris, 2014. "The Sahel's Silent Maize Revolution: Analyzing Maize Productivity in Mali at the Farm Level," NBER Chapters, in: African Successes, Volume IV: Sustainable Growth, pages 111-136, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Lenis Saweda O. Liverpool-Tasie, 2017. "Is fertiliser use inconsistent with expected profit maximization in sub-Saharan Africa? “Evidence from Nigeria”," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 22-44, February.
    9. Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis Saweda O. & Omonona, Bolarin T. & Sanou, Awa & Ogunleye, Wale O., 2017. "Is increasing inorganic fertilizer use for maize production in SSA a profitable proposition? Evidence from Nigeria," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 41-51.
    10. Hasibuan, Abdul Muis & Gregg, Daniel & Stringer, Randy, 2022. "Risk preferences, intra-household dynamics and spatial effects on chemical inputs use: Case of small-scale citrus farmers in Indonesia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    11. Bevis, Leah E.M. & Conrad, Jon M. & Barrett, Christopher B. & Gray, Clark, 2017. "State-conditioned soil investment in rural Uganda," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 254-281.
    12. Mugizi, Francisco M.P. & Matsumoto, Tomoya, 2021. "A curse or a blessing? Population pressure and soil quality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from rural Uganda," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    13. Hongbin Liu & Zhanli Sun & Xiaojuan Luo & Xiuru Dong & Mengyao Wu, 2020. "A Spatial-Temporal Analysis of the Effects of Households’ Land-use Behaviors on Soil Available Potassium in Cropland: A Case Study from Urban Peripheral Region in Northeast China," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-19, May.
    14. Hassen, Sied, 2018. "The effect of farmyard manure on the continued and discontinued use of inorganic fertilizer in Ethiopia: An ordered probit analysis," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 523-532.
    15. Ozaki, Ryosuke & Tsujimoto, Yasuhiro & Andriamananjara, Andry & Rakotonindrina, Hobimiarantsoa & Sakurai, Takeshi, 2021. "Impact of Information of Expected Effectiveness Based on Soil Quality on Farmers’ Decision of Fertilizer Use: Evidence from Madagascar," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315272, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Berazneva, Julia & McBride, Linden & Sheahan, Megan & Guerena, David, 2016. "Perceived, measured, and estimated soil fertility in east Africa: Implications for farmers and researchers," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235466, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    17. Ortega, David L. & Waldman, Kurt B. & Richardson, Robert B. & Clay, Daniel C. & Snapp, Sieglinde, 2016. "Sustainable Intensification and Farmer Preferences for Crop System Attributes: Evidence from Malawi’s Central and Southern Regions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 139-151.
    18. Macours, Karen & Behaghel, Luc & Gignoux, Jérémie, 2020. "Social learning in agriculture: does smallholder heterogeneity impede technology diffusion in Sub-Saharan Africa?," CEPR Discussion Papers 15220, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    19. Muyanga, Milu & Jayne, T.S., 2014. "Effects of rising rural population density on smallholder agriculture in Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 98-113.
    20. Wango, Virginiah & Mburu, John & Nyikal, Rose & Onwong'A, Richard, 2016. "An Analysis Of Profitability And Factors Influencing Adoption Of Agro-Ecological Intensification (Aei) Techniques In Yatta Sub- County, Kenya," Dissertations and Theses 269533, University of Nairobi, Department of Agricultural Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Improved Seed; Seed Policy Reforms; Peer Effects; Uganda.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:gii:ciesrp:cies_rp_46. 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: Kristine Kjeldsen (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ciheich.html .

    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.