IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agisys/v97y2008i1-2p1-12.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integrating new soybean varieties for soil fertility management in smallholder systems through participatory research: Lessons from western Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Misiko, M.
  • Tittonell, P.
  • Ramisch, J.J.
  • Richards, P.
  • Giller, K.E.

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to understand the process of selecting soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) promiscuous varieties by smallholders for soil fertility management in western Kenya. Eight varieties were screened on 2.5 m × 3 m plots that were managed according to farmers' practices and evaluated through participatory monitoring and evaluation approaches. Farmers selected preferred varieties and explained their reasons (criteria) for making the selections. Seven promiscuous varieties had better yields than a local one. Farmers' selection criteria fell into three broad categories relating to yield, appearance and labour. Selection criteria were not primarily aimed to improve soil fertility. This created a challenge to embed the new varieties within the local farming systems for soil fertility improvement. This study shows that farmer criteria for selecting varieties overlapped with scientific procedures. We propose co-research activities targeted to strengthen farmer experimentation skills, their understanding on N addition, and the role of P.

Suggested Citation

  • Misiko, M. & Tittonell, P. & Ramisch, J.J. & Richards, P. & Giller, K.E., 2008. "Integrating new soybean varieties for soil fertility management in smallholder systems through participatory research: Lessons from western Kenya," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 97(1-2), pages 1-12, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agisys:v:97:y:2008:i:1-2:p:1-12
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308-521X(07)00104-7
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Defoer, Toon, 2002. "Learning about methodology development for integrated soil fertility management," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 57-81, July.
    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. repec:ags:ijag24:345244 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Giller, K.E. & Tittonell, P. & Rufino, M.C. & van Wijk, M.T. & Zingore, S. & Mapfumo, P. & Adjei-Nsiah, S. & Herrero, M. & Chikowo, R. & Corbeels, M. & Rowe, E.C. & Baijukya, F. & Mwijage, A. & Smith,, 2011. "Communicating complexity: Integrated assessment of trade-offs concerning soil fertility management within African farming systems to support innovation and development," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(2), pages 191-203, February.
    3. Misiko, M., 2013. "Dilemma in participatory selection of varieties," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 35-42.
    4. Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri & Bezner Kerr, Rachel & Lupafya, Esther & Dakishoni, Laifolo & Luginaah, Isaac, 2021. "Does participatory farmer-to-farmer training improve the adoption of sustainable land management practices?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).

    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. Loevinsohn, Michael E. & Berdegue, Julio A. & Guijt, Irene, 2002. "Deepening the basis of rural resource management: learning processes and decision support," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 3-22, July.
    2. Lidia Dandedjrohoun & Aliou Diagne & Gauthier Biaou & Simon N’cho & Soul-Kifouly Midingoyi, 2012. "Determinants of diffusion and adoption of improved technology for rice parboiling in Benin," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 93(2), pages 171-191.
    3. Kaufmann, Brigitte A., 2011. "Second-order cybernetics as a tool to understand why pastoralists do what they do," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(9), pages 655-665.
    4. Ronner, E. & Descheemaeker, K. & Almekinders, C. & Ebanyat, P. & Giller, K.E., 2019. "Co-design of improved climbing bean production practices for smallholder farmers in the highlands of Uganda," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 1-12.
    5. Lidia Dandedjrohoun & Aliou Diagne & Gauthier Biaou & Simon N'Cho & Soul-Kifouly Midingoyi, 2012. "Determinants of diffusion and adoption of improved technology for rice parboiling in Benin," Post-Print hal-00939350, HAL.
    6. Dandedjrohoun, Lidia & Diagne, Aliou & Biaou, Gauthier & N'Cho, Simon & Midingoyi, Soul-Kifouly, 2012. "Determinants of diffusion and adoption of improved technology for rice parboiling in Benin," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement (RAEStud), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 93(2).
    7. Ronner, E. & Descheemaeker, K. & Marinus, W. & Almekinders, C.J.M. & Ebanyat, P. & Giller, K.E., 2018. "How do climbing beans fit in farming systems of the eastern highlands of Uganda? Understanding opportunities and constraints at farm level," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 97-110.
    8. Crawford, Eric W. & Jayne, Thomas S. & Kelly, Valerie A., 2005. "Alternative Approaches for Promoting Fertilizer Use in Africa, with Particular Reference to the Role of Fertilizer Subsidies," Staff Paper Series 11557, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    9. Katherine Tully & Clare Sullivan & Ray Weil & Pedro Sanchez, 2015. "The State of Soil Degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Baselines, Trajectories, and Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-30, May.

    More about this item

    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:eee:agisys:v:97:y:2008:i:1-2:p:1-12. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agsy .

    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.