Assessing the benefits and costs of participatory and conventional barley breeding programs in Syria
Date
2006
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Publisher
ICARDA, Aleppo, SY
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a socioeconomic assessment of the impacts of improved barley varieties used in two breeding programs: a conventional plant breeding (CPB) program and a participatory plant breeding (PPB) program. The participatory breeding program, which is run in Syria, was developed by ICARDA. The objectives of this study were as follows: (a) To investigate the current status of barley production in Syria; (b) To evaluate and quantify the benefits and costs that barley producers and institutions accrue as a result of using conventionally bred barley varieties (‘conventional varieties’) and varieties bred using participatory techniques (‘participatory varieties’); (c) To assess the economic returns to investment associated with barley research in Syria; (d) To identify key points that must be considered during the development and dissemination of new barley varieties in Syria. // This study provides some evidence that, no matter how many varieties are released by the formal system, and no matter how great the yield gains they provide over local varieties, farmers in marginal environments will not adopt them unless they are selected through a process that involves their participation. // Analysis of the farm-level benefits and costs of barley production also showed that farmer participation in the breeding program would not definitely result in higher production costs. It was found that farmers adopting participatory breeding varieties would likely pay higher input costs, but would also gain higher net returns. In addition to the economic benefits, participation also provides other benefits, such as the increase in human and social capital that results from farmers’ interactions with breeders, technicians, and other farmers….
Description
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IDRC Final Report
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Text
Keywords
BARLEY BREEDING, FARMERS, PLANT BREEDING, AGRICULTURAL BIODIVERSITY, COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, SYRIA