Ahmed Mazid

THE ROLE OF INFORMAL FARMER-TO-FARMER SEED DISTRIBUTION IN DIFFUSION OF NEW BARLEY VARIETIES IN SYRIA

SUMMARY This study examines the role, structure and effectiveness of informal seed systems in the diffusion of new barley varieties. It uses data collected by tracing farmers who received new barley varieties and other farmers who purchased seeds through farmer-to-farmer seed trade over a period of five years. The principal finding was that informal farmer-to-farmer seed dissemination was an important vehicle for the diffusion of new barley varieties, which were grow on 27% of the barley area of monitored farmers, despite a complete lack of extension support. Almost all seed exchanges were undertaken through purchases at market prices, highlighting the importance of markets in informal seed systems. The second main finding was the high concentration of seed sales among a few key seed suppliers, who established reputations as reliable sources of seed and had contacts with research organizations. The importance of market-based local seed transactions implies that farmers specializing in seed sales can invest in local seed enterprises and provide sustainable services at affordable prices. The results of this study indicate great potential for supporting local seed suppliers in order to ensure a sustainable flow of new crop varieties to smallholder farmers in the dry areas. The study also examined farmers’ criteria in evaluating and eventually adopting a new variety. These criteria depend on agro-ecological zones with more complex criteria in drier areas with high rainfall variability. These findings will help plant breeding programmes to target dry and marginal areas, where access to new varieties is low, more effectively.

Wheat farming in Syria: An approach to economic transformation and sustainability

Sustainability has recently become an ingrained concept in crop production systems worldwide, and is the cornerstone of research programs of the global network of research centers operated by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which functions in collaboration with the various national agricultural research systems. One of the major CGIAR centers, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), focuses mainly on dryland agriculture, but increasingly on irrigation, in its mandate area of West and Central Asia and North Africa. ICARDA has collaboration programs with its host country, Syria, the cradle of civilization and of settled agriculture, and the center of origin of many of the world’s major crops, notably cereals and pulses. Wheat is, and has been, the most important commodity food in Syria. The Center’s goal is to enhance wheat productivity in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the country’s resource-poor farmers and society as a whole. Wheat is grown on about 1.5 million ha or 27% of the total cultivated land in Syria, mainly under rainfed conditions (300‐500 mm annual rainfall), which are increasingly experiencing supplemental irrigation, while drier (<200 mm) areas are fully irrigated. Improved cultivars generally combine high yield potential and stress tolerance and tend to have high yield stability, being inputefficient under limited resources in stress environments and input responsive under favorable environments. Such varieties are tested under farmers’ conditions through multi-year multi-locations. Other aspects of the ICARDA‐Syrian collaboration wheat program include improved tillage, with an emphasis on conservation systems, adequate fertilization, and improved agronomic practices, e.g., early sowing in relation to rainfall conditions, optimum row spacing and plant population, and adequate weed control. This vigorous collaborative research‐technology transfer program has produced a major shift in wheat production in Syria, from traditional low-input practices with landrace or improved cultivars to widespread adoption (two-thirds of wheat area) of modern cultivars along with improved production technology. As a result of such efforts, national income has substantially increased, and Syria has become a net exporter of wheat. Thus, the collaborative efforts of an international research center and its host country have shown clearly that there is an alternative to a traditional, low-output agriculture and its associated ills.

IMPACTS OF CROP IMPROVEMENT RESEARCH ON FARMERS' LIVELIHOODS: THE CASE OF WINTER-SOWN CHICKPEA IN SYRIA

This study presents farmers’ evaluations of the performance of winter-sown chickpea technology developed by ICARDA relative to traditional spring planting, and assesses impacts of this technology on farmers’ livelihoods in Syria. Ascochyta blight, insects and weeds were the most important factors affecting productivity of winter-sown chickpea, according to 480 farmers. Among package components, crop varieties were widely adopted and most farmers adopted other components. The winter-sown chickpea area is expanding, particularly in drier regions that do not traditionally grow chickpea. Adoption was higher for better-off farmers – poorer farmers generally prefer to see positive effects first. Adoption over time is accelerating, with obvious benefits: yields have increased by 18% in drier areas and 32% elsewhere in Syria. Winter-sown chickpea technology increased incomes for all adopting households with greatest impact among poorer farmers. All gains are important because chickpea contributes 22% of total household income and should increase with further increases in package adoption.

MEASURING THE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH: THE CASE OF NEW WHEAT VARIETIES IN TURKEY

SUMMARY This paper summarizes a study initiated by the Turkish General Directorate of Agricultural Research and ICARDA/CIMMYT Wheat Improvement Program on the adoption of five new winter and spring wheat varieties developed and released by the Turkish national breeding program and through international collaboration in the past 10 years. The study results are based on a survey of 781 households selected randomly in the Adana, Ankara, Diyarbakir, Edirne, and Konya provinces of Turkey. The five new wheat varieties are compared to old improved varieties released prior to 1995 that are also still grown by farmers. Technical and biological indicators of impacts including crop productivity are measured to determine the impact of these varieties. Yield stability is assessed by comparing average yields in normal, good and dry years and by comparing the coefficients of variation of yields by variety. Profitability is measured by the gross margin generated per unit of land. Household income from wheat and for all economic activities are estimated and compared between adopters and non-adopters. Adopters of the new varieties have higher per-capita income than non-adopters as compared to the same group using old varieties. However, the overall impact of the improved varieties is generally low, mainly due to their low adoption levels. Farmers’ knowledge and perception of certain variety characteristics and unavailability of adequate and timely seed are the main reasons. Increasing adoption has the potential to improve household income and this requires revising wheat impact pathway to achieve the expected impact.