IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i12p7025-d834082.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Diagnostic Appraisal of the Sorghum Farming System and Breeding Priorities in Sierra Leone

Author

Listed:
  • Francis Okot

    (African Center for Crop Improvement, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
    African Seed Company, Makomp Village, Lunsar-Makeni Highway Port Loko District, Freetown, Sierra Leone)

  • Mark Laing

    (African Center for Crop Improvement, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa)

  • Hussein Shimelis

    (African Center for Crop Improvement, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa)

  • Walter A. J. de Milliano

    (Maatschap de Milliano-Meijer, Bakkersstraat 62, 4501RB Oostburg, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Understanding demographic structures, production constraints, and trait preferences is essential for setting up crop breeding goals and enhancing adoption strategies for new varieties. The objective of this study was to document the sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) production constraints and preferred sorghum traits to guide breeding in Sierra Leone. A participatory rural appraisal was used to collect data from 210 farmers across seven districts in Sierra Leone in 2019. Results showed that all sorghum varieties in cultivation are landraces. Poor access to fertilizer (91%), lack of suitable varieties (85%), poor agronomic knowledge (79%), low yielding varieties (78%), storage pests (75%), field pests (67%), low soil fertility (52%), lack of market (49%), sorghum disease (43%), drought (16%), and heavy rainfall (12%) are key production constraints limiting sorghum production. Farmers expressed interest in adopting new varieties with high yield (99%), disease (84%) and pest (81%) resistance, drought tolerance (50%), white grain (59%), and short height (53%). The prioritized traits will form the basis for farmer-oriented sorghum breeding.

Suggested Citation

  • Francis Okot & Mark Laing & Hussein Shimelis & Walter A. J. de Milliano, 2022. "Diagnostic Appraisal of the Sorghum Farming System and Breeding Priorities in Sierra Leone," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-18, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7025-:d:834082
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7025/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/12/7025/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Akinwumi A. Adesina & Jojo Baidu‐Forson, 1995. "Farmers' perceptions and adoption of new agricultural technology: evidence from analysis in Burkina Faso and Guinea, West Africa," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, October.
    2. Baumann, D. T. & Bastiaans, L. & Goudriaan, J. & van Laar, H. H. & Kropff, M. J., 2002. "Analysing crop yield and plant quality in an intercropping system using an eco-physiological model for interplant competition," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 173-203, August.
    3. Rexford Ahene & Arvydas Bagdonavicius & Alvaro Federico Barra & Claire Galpin, 2019. "Support to the Sierra Leone Land Agenda," World Bank Publications - Reports 32022, The World Bank Group.
    4. repec:fpr:resrep:abdulaijalloh is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Jalloh, Abdulai & Nelson, Gerald C. & Thomas, Timothy S. & Zougmoré, Robert & Roy-Macauley, Harold, 2013. "West african agriculture and climate change: A comprehensive analysis:," Issue briefs 75, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Aloyce R Kaliba & Kizito Mazvimavi & Theresia L Gregory & Frida M Mgonja & Mary Mgonja, 2018. "Factors affecting adoption of improved sorghum varieties in Tanzania under information and capital constraints," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-21, December.
    7. Gebretsadik, Rebeka & Shimelis, H. & Laing, M.D. & Tongoona, P. & Mandefro, N., 2014. "A diagnostic appraisal of the sorghum farming system and breeding priorities in Striga infested agro-ecologies of Ethiopia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 54-61.
    8. Clara W. Mundia & Silvia Secchi & Kofi Akamani & Guangxing Wang, 2019. "A Regional Comparison of Factors Affecting Global Sorghum Production: The Case of North America, Asia and Africa’s Sahel," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, April.
    9. Jalloh, Abdulai & Nelson, Gerald C. & Thomas, Timothy S. & Zougmore, Robert & Roy-Macauley, Harold (ed.), 2013. "West African agriculture and climate change: A comprehensive analysis," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 978-0-89629-204-8.
    10. Adesina, Akinwumi A. & Baidu-Forson, Jojo, 1995. "Farmers' perceptions and adoption of new agricultural technology: evidence from analysis in Burkina Faso and Guinea, West Africa," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, October.
    11. Deininger, Klaus & Savastano, Sara & Xia, Fang, 2017. "Smallholders’ land access in Sub-Saharan Africa: A new landscape?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 78-92.
    12. John G. Hampton & Anthony J. Conner & Birte Boelt & Thomas G. Chastain & Phil Rolston, 2016. "Climate Change: Seed Production and Options for Adaptation," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-17, 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. Maliata Athon Wanga & Hussein Shimelis & Girma Mengistu, 2022. "Sorghum Production in Northern Namibia: Farmers’ Perceived Constraints and Trait Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-16, August.

    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. Awais Jabbar & Qun Wu & Jianchao Peng & Ali Sher & Asma Imran & Kunpeng Wang, 2020. "Mitigating Catastrophic Risks and Food Security Threats: Effects of Land Ownership in Southern Punjab, Pakistan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Ghadir Asadi & Mohammad H. Mostafavi-Dehzooei, 2022. "The Role of Learning in Adaptation to Technology: The Case of Groundwater Extraction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-37, June.
    3. Aude Ridier & Caroline Roussy & Karim Chaib, 2021. "Adoption of crop diversification by specialized grain farmers in south-western France: evidence from a choice-modelling experiment," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 102(3), pages 265-283, September.
    4. Shaosheng Jin & Bashiru Mansaray & Xin Jin & Haoyang Li, 2020. "Farmers’ preferences for attributes of rice varieties in Sierra Leone," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 12(5), pages 1185-1197, October.
    5. Tobi Kossigan & Edgeweblime Kcodgoh, 2022. "Effect of land tenure security on the adaptation strategies of farm households to climate change in Togo [Effet de la sécurité foncière sur les stratégies d'adaptation des ménages agricoles au chan," Post-Print hal-04031537, HAL.
    6. Katcho Karume & Jean M. Mondo & Géant B. Chuma & Angele Ibanda & Espoir M. Bagula & Alex Lina Aleke & Serge Ndjadi & Bintu Ndusha & Pascaline Azine Ciza & Nadege Cirezi Cizungu & Daniel Muhindo & Anth, 2022. "Current Practices and Prospects of Climate-Smart Agriculture in Democratic Republic of Congo: A Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-19, October.
    7. Nuray Cakirli Akyüz & Ludwig Theuvsen, 2020. "The Impact of Behavioral Drivers on Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: The Case of Organic Farming in Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-20, August.
    8. Dilshad Ahmad & Mohammad Afzal & Abdur Rauf, 2021. "Farmers’ adaptation decisions to landslides and flash floods in the mountainous region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 8573-8600, June.
    9. Mihert Semere & Abirham Cherinet & Martha Gebreyesus, 2022. "Climate resilient traditional agroforestry systems in Silite district, Southern Ethiopia," Journal of Forest Science, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 68(4), pages 136-144.
    10. Mianseli Elisabeth Tankoano & Martin Sawadogo, 2022. "Farmers' perceptions and adoption of agroecological practices in the Central-North region of Burkina Faso [Perceptions des agriculteurs et adoption des pratiques agroécologiques dans la région du C," Post-Print hal-03939540, HAL.
    11. Fahad, Shah & Wang, Jing & Hu, Guangyin & Wang, Hui & Yang, Xiaoying & Shah, Ashfaq Ahmad & Huong, Nguyen Thi Lan & Bilal, Arshad, 2018. "Empirical analysis of factors influencing farmers crop insurance decisions in Pakistan: Evidence from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 459-467.
    12. Murunga, Powel, 2024. "Assessing Impact of Fertilizer Adoption in Boosting Small Scale Crop Farming Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa," IAAE 2024 Conference, August 2-7, 2024, New Delhi, India 344322, International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).
    13. Chrispin Sunganani Kaphaika & Samson Pilanazo Katengeza & Innocent Pangapanga-Phiri & Madalitso Happy Chambukira, 2023. "More Interventions, Low Adoption: To What Extent Are the Existing Seed Sources to Blame? The Case of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato in Central and Northern Malawi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-20, September.
    14. Yuying Liu & Kaiyao Shi & Ziqi Liu & Ling Qiu & Yan Wang & Hao Liu & Xinhong Fu, 2022. "The Effect of Technical Training Provided by Agricultural Cooperatives on Farmers’ Adoption of Organic Fertilizers in China: Based on the Mediation Role of Ability and Perception," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-20, November.
    15. Muhammad Ibnu & Pieter Glasbergen & Astrid Offermans & Bustanul Arifin, 2015. "Farmer Preferences for Coffee Certification: A Conjoint Analysis of the Indonesian Smallholders," Journal of Agricultural Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 7(6), pages 1-20, May.
    16. Adetomiwa Kolapo & Akeem Abiade Tijani & Seyi Olalekan Olawuyi, 2024. "Exploring the Role of Farmer-Led Jumpstarting Project on Adoption of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato in Nigeria: Implications on Productivity and Poverty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-35, August.
    17. Boubacar Balde & Hajime Kobayashi & Makoto Nohmi & Akira Ishida & Mohamed Esham & Emmanuel Tolno, 2014. "An Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Mangrove Rice Production in the Guinean Coastal Area," Journal of Agricultural Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 6(8), pages 179-179, July.
    18. Acheampong, Patricia Pinamang & Acheampong, Lawrencia Donkor, 2020. "Analysis of Adoption of Improved Cassava (Manihot Esculenta) Varieties in Ghana: Implications for Agricultural Technology Disseminations," International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics (IJFAEC), Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Department of Economics and Finance, vol. 8(3), July.
    19. repec:ags:ijag24:345244 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Lim, Krisha & Wichmann, Bruno & Luckert, Martin, 2021. "Adaptation, spatial effects, and targeting: Evidence from Africa and Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    21. Kamau M.W & Ndung’u C.K & Muriu Ng’ang’a F.W, 2020. "Factors Influencing Farmers’ Adaptations to Climate Variability and Extreme Events in Dry Kitui, Kenya," International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 24(1), pages 1-8, March.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7025-:d:834082. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.