Gender, caste, and heterogeneous farmer preferences for wheat varietal traits in rural India

Gender integration of agricultural innovation: implications for the genetically modified crop product development pipeline

We provide guidance on how to incorporate best practices around gender integration in the development of genetically improved crops by adapting a gender integration framework for conventional crop breeding to the GM product development pipeline, which places greater emphasis on the discovery and launch phases because the technical nature of the development process means fewer opportunities for farmer engagement or pivoting possibilities between these two ends of the product development spectrum. For crop innovation to be relevant to both women and men producers, during the discovery phase, developers can conduct baseline gender analysis consisting of gender-disaggregated value chain analysis, systematic learning about gender-specific crop trait preferences, and identification of varietal preferences by women and men along the value chain. The latter opportunity in the GM product development pathway for intentional gender integration is deployment, including pre-launch activities such as field demonstrations and consumer testing. We also describe ex ante and ex post gender impact assessment methods. We conclude with a number of gender integration recommendations for GM product developers: improving gender data collection and analysis to inform crop innovation efforts, investing in staffing and training of scientific teams to enhance gender expertise, and increasing accountability of product development teams with gender-intentional monitoring and evaluation systems.

Seed market dynamics and diffusion of new wheat varieties in Bihar, India: a supply-side perspective

An examination of the dynamics of seed markets in Bihar, India, reveals a paradox-despite an influx of wheat varieties bred by public and private sectors and the proliferation of seed market networks in rural villages, older wheat varieties remain prevalent-necessitating a thorough investigation of the seed distribution system. Unlike most empirical studies that examine the adoption of new and improved crop varieties from a farmer's perspective, our study shifts the focus to the seed supply side. We analyse data collected from 200 private seed dealers who cater to the needs of over 163,000 farmers spread across 10 districts in Bihar. We use descriptive statistics alongside dealer-level and varietal-level regression models to examine the relationship between seed sales and varietal age. Findings indicate that the number of varieties available with a dealer (varietal richness) is positively associated with the number of seed buyers (dealer's reach) and the total quantity of seeds sold. Private varieties are in demand despite their higher prices. Dealer-level models showed that varietal age affects neither the reach nor the sales, allowing older public-sector varieties to coexist with more recent private-sector ones. However, the varietal-level regression models show that dealers rank the new varieties higher as the ones being sold more. To explore the potential of private seed markets to reduce the proliferation of old wheat varieties that are more susceptible to evolving biotic and abiotic stress factors, we recommend strengthening the varietal registration and seed certification processes, implementing better seed traceability systems, and fostering public-private partnerships in variety development and seed dissemination. Investing in market experiments to incentivize seed dealers to engage in quality assurance can help refine strategies and ensure efficient and inclusive dissemination of promising wheat varieties.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40100-024-00330-w.

A scoping review on tools and methods for trait prioritization in crop breeding programmes

Trait prioritization studies have guided research, development and investment decisions for public-sector crop breeding programmes since the 1970s, but the research design, methods and tools underpinning these studies are not well understood. We used PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols) to evaluate research on trait ranking for major crops over the past 40 years (1980-2023). Data extraction and descriptive analysis on 657 papers show uneven attention to crops, lack of systematic sex disaggregation and regional bias. The lack of standardized trait data taxonomy across studies, and inconsistent research design and data collection practices make cross-comparison of findings impossible. In addition, network mapping of authors and donors shows patterns of concentration and the presence of silos within research areas. This study contributes to the next generation of innovation in trait preference studies to produce more inclusive, demand-driven varietal design that moves beyond trait prioritization focused on productivity and yield.

Gender, rainfall endowment, and farmers' heterogeneity in wheat trait preferences in Ethiopia

Wheat is a vital cereal crop for smallholders in Ethiopia. Despite over fifty years of research on wheat varietal development, consideration of gendered trait preferences in developing target product profiles for wheat breeding is limited. To address this gap, our study used sex-disaggregated survey data and historical rainfall trends from the major wheat-growing regions in Ethiopia. The findings indicated heterogeneity in trait preferences based on gender and rainfall endowment. Men respondents tended to prefer wheat traits with high straw yield and disease-resistance potential, while women showed a greater appreciation for wheat traits related to good taste and cooking quality. Farmers in high rainfall areas seemed to prioritize high straw yield and disease resistance traits, while those in low rainfall areas valued good adaptation traits more highly. Most of the correlation coefficients among the preferred traits were positive, indicating that farmers seek wheat varieties with traits that serve multiple purposes. Understanding men's and women's preferences and incorporating them in breeding and seed systems could contribute to the development of more targeted and effective wheat varieties that meet the diverse needs of men and women farmers in Ethiopia.

Analyzing gender differentials in dietary diversity across urban and peri-urban areas of Hyderabad, India

BACKGROUND

India's recent increase in urbanization alongside with feminization of rural agriculture could increase the existing gender disparities in dietary diversity. With many rural men migrating to urban areas, women have increased domestic burdens as well as productive burdens such as making informed crop production decisions so household members consume a diverse diet. Given the rapid and recent onset of this phenomenon, there is a need to explore gender differentials in diet diversity across urban and rural areas to assess if certain populations are being disproportionately impacted by this trend. There are limited established quantitative studies discussing this gender disparity with respect to urbanization. Therefore, this paper compares dietary diversity among adult men, adult women, adolescent males, and adolescent females in urban and peri-urban locations. The authors also assess if various sociodemographic factors correlate with dietary diversity.

METHODS

Analyses were conducted on dietary diversity data collected by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) from selected urban (1108 individuals) and peri-urban (808 individuals) locations of Hyderabad, India. The total sample size of the population is n = 1816: 660 adult males, 662 adult females, 205 adolescent males, and 289 adolescent females.

RESULTS

Adult women and adolescent females have a higher diet disparity between peri-urban and urban areas when compared to adult males and adolescent males. Multivariate analyses followed by post hoc multiple comparisons testing further support that peri-urban adult women consume a less diverse diet compared to their urban counterparts and less than other peri-urban adult men and adolescent women. It was also found that marital status, type of household card owned, and the highest degree of education are statistically significant correlators of an individual's dietary diversity.

CONCLUSIONS

Given that urbanization could negatively impact already vulnerable populations such as peri-urban adult women, who play a key role in children's nutrition, it is important to provide support to these populations. This paper suggests it is possible to do so through government subsidization of peri-urban farmers to grow more diverse crops, fortifying easily accessible foods with commonly lacking micronutrients, including Vitamin A, folic acid, and iron, market access, and affordable prices.