Arbeitspapier
Can Adoption of Improved Maize Varieties Help Smallholder Farmers Adapt to Drought? Evidence from Malawi
This study used a three-year panel dataset for 350 Malawian farm households to examine the potential for widespread adoption of drought tolerant (DT) maize varieties, a technology that holds considerable promise for helping smallholder farmers in SSA adapt to drought risk. Regression results revealed that DT maize cultivation increased substantially from 2006 to 2012, with the main driver being the Malawi Farm Input Subsidy Program. Some other key factors related to adoption were having recently experienced drought and farmer risk aversion. As far as yield performance, improved maize varieties performed significantly better than local maize during the 2011/12 drought year. However, DT maize did not perform significantly better than other improved maize varieties used in Malawi, which is in contradiction to results from on-station and on-farm trials (e.g., Magorokosho et al. 2010; Setimela et al., 2012). A plausible explanation is that farmers had inadequate training or experience to move towards the yield potentials of the DT maize varieties. Expansion of agricultural extension activities may be required to help farmers achieve the DT maize yield potentials and, subsequently, improve farmer resilience to drought.
- ISBN
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978-82-7490-239-8
- Language
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Englisch
- Bibliographic citation
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Series: Centre for Land Tenure Studies Working Paper ; No. 1/15
- Classification
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Wirtschaft
Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
Agricultural Policy; Food Policy
- Subject
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Improved maize varieties
drought
drought tolerance
input subsidies
maize yields
agricultural adaptation
risk aversion
- Event
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Geistige Schöpfung
- (who)
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Holden, Stein
Fischer, Monica
- Event
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Veröffentlichung
- (who)
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Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Centre for Land Tenure Studies (CLTS)
- (where)
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Ås
- (when)
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2015
- Handle
- Last update
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10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET
Data provider
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Object type
- Arbeitspapier
Associated
- Holden, Stein
- Fischer, Monica
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Centre for Land Tenure Studies (CLTS)
Time of origin
- 2015
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Impact of alternative soil fertility management options on maize productivity in Malawi's smallholder farming system
Agricultural policy and soil fertility management in the maize-based smallholder farming system in Malawi
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Input subsidies and improved maize varieties in Malawi: -What can we learn from the impacts in a drought year?
Performance, behaviour and organization of maize trading in Malawi
Adoption of improved maize seed by smallholder farmers in Mozambique
Targeting the poor and smallholder farmers : empirical evidence from Malawi
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Seed market liberalization, hybrid maize adoption, and impacts on smallholder farmers in Tanzania