Participatory Breeding Strategies for Smallholder Farmers Need to Meet Diverse Needs

Growing interest in participatory varietal selection and gender-responsive breeding has led to research highlighting the importance of ensuring new crop varieties meet the needs of a diverse range of smallholder farmers. On-farm testing, increasingly used to ensure new varieties perform within target environments, has limitations in representing the diversity of the target population. This study evaluates the inclusivity of a participatory maize breeding program in Zimbabwe, advocating for the use of sampling strategies that incorporate agronomic and socio-economic diversity to ensure gender and social inclusion.

Key Takeaways:

• The study found that setting targets for women farmer participation in participatory breeding programs is essential but insufficient to ensure adequate representation.
• Participatory research should move beyond simple targets and incorporate diverse types of women and men farmers to ensure inclusion.
• A sample of over 2,000 randomly selected women and men farmers, including those hosting breeding trials, were surveyed to evaluate the representativeness of the target population.
• A typology of farms was constructed to group farms with similar characteristics, revealing heterogeneity within groups of women and men household heads.
• Two farm types associated with women household heads and three types associated with men-headed households were identified, highlighting the importance of adapting breeding strategies to meet diverse needs.
• The study recommends using sampling strategies that incorporate agronomic and socio-economic diversity to select host women and men farmers for participatory research.

Statistics:

• Over 2,000 farmers were surveyed, including women and men hosting breeding trials.
• 2 farm types were associated with women household heads, and 3 types were associated with men-headed households.
• The distribution of farm types selected by extension agents to host trials closely reflected the distribution of farm types within the surveyed population.
• 75% of farm types selected by extension agents reflected the diversity of the target population.

Sources:

• Know Your Men and Women Farmers: Ensuring Host Farmers In Participatory Trials Represent Heterogeneity Within the Target Environment. PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET, 2025.
• Researchers from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) Report Findings in Environmental Science (Know Your Men and Women Farmers: Ensuring Host Farmers In Participatory Trials Represent Heterogeneity Within the Target ...). Ecology, Environment & Conservation. August 15, 2025; p 1089.