THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GUINEA-RACE SORGHUM HYBRIDS IN MALI: A COMPARISON OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PARADIGMS

Alpha Kergna, Melinda Smale (), Amidou Assima, Abdoulaye Diallo, Eva Weltzien and Fred Rattunde

No 259073, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers from Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP)

Abstract: Rural Malians who grow dryland crops depend on sorghum as a primary food staple. Achieving major gains in national sorghum yields in the complex and variable sorghum environments of Mali has been challenging despite steady advances in sorghum research. Since 2000, Mali’s sorghum research program has shifted from formal plant breeding with a state-managed seed system (FPB-S) toward a more participatory approach with on-farm tests and trials, and decentralized seed supply managed by local farmer associations (PPB-F). Recently, the program released the first Guinea-race sorghum hybrids developed in Mali, based largely on germplasm of local landraces. Of the five races of sorghum grown in Africa South of the Sahara, the Guinea race dominates the West African Savanna, where most of Africa’s sorghum is produced. Aside from photoperiod sensitivity, the defining traits of the Guinea race are the shape of the grain and the fact that the grains turn inside the glumes at maturity, leaving open glumes and lax panicles that help to mitigate grain damage from insects and mold.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Security and Poverty; International Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33
Date: 2016-10-10
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/259073/files/FSP%20Research%20Paper%2023.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The potential economic impact of Guinea-race sorghum hybrids in Mali: A comparison of research and development paradigms (2017)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:miffrp:259073

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.259073

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research Papers from Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security (FSP) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().