Farmer Involvement in Sorghum Variety Selection Process at Matopos

Research Station in Zimbabwe

Cousin Musvosvi University of Zimbabwe

Where I work• Institution: University of Zimbabwe (UZ)• Department of Crop Science• Focus: Teaching, learning, research and outreach

activities in crop sciences.• Position: Lecturer in Plant Breeding• Responsibility: Teaching and research in plant

breeding; representing UZ in national committees, e.g., NPGRCom, and VRC.

• My research interests: Plant Breeding Systems, Seed Systems and Genetic Resources, Molecular Plant Breeding.

Department of Crop Science, UZ

Introduction• Sorghum • Small scale farmers• Semi-arid• Drought• local varieties and improved varieties• Low yields. • Food insecurity.

Objectives• Evaluate genotypes for agronomic and other

performances using researcher approach and farmers’ approach and to compare the two approaches

• Establish farmer preferences in sorghum variety selection.

Key activities• Researcher- farmer meetings• Establishment of a sorghum variety evaluation trial

at Matopos Research Station Farm • Plant material used in the study comprised four

improved varieties, three farmer/local varieties (collected from farmers in the surrounding area) and eight experimental lines, supplied by the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DR&SS).

Key activities continued

Researcher evaluation• Observations and measurements on agronomic

characteristics.

Farmers’ evaluation• Each farmer stated own sorghum characteristics

preferred in sorghum selection before evaluating varieties for each characteristic using a 1 (poor) to 5 (very good) scale.

• Ranking of varieties

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Dwarfness E/maturity Big head White grain colour High yield Bird damage

tolerance

Desired characteristic

% P

refe

ren

ce

Synthesis• Problem identification. • What characteristics to focus on in developing

sorghum varieties for production in this particular agro-environment.

Benefit to the Community

• Knowledge of improved sorghum varieties.• Empowerment of communities – they gain

experience and confidence in research.

Professionalism

• My perception of farmers has changed – I now view farmers as capable researchers

• In future projects with farmers I intend to engage them both in the development and evaluation of technologies.

• Besides inviting farmers in selection of varieties at researcher managed trials, I will do mother- baby- trials.

General conclusions

1. Researcher’s approach is based on observation and measurement of agronomic performances.2. Farmers’ consider suitability for cultivation in their environment and are also driven by the variety’s ability to address farmer problems.3. Macia (improved variety) most preferred followed by Tsveta (local variety) .

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