@article{e04c0aa4523046b2957c6d170acffdf2,
title = "Filling a niche? The maize productivity impacts of adaptive breeding by a local seed company in Kenya",
abstract = "This paper studies whether the absence of locally adapted seed varieties constrains the productivity and incomes of farm households residing in small, agro-ecological niches. We empirically examine the disruption of the maize seed market in Western Kenya that took place when public sector foundation breeding and social impact investment capital came together and allowed a local seed company to expand and target a niche area with adaptively-bred maize varieties. The three-year randomized controlled trial reveals that these seed varieties increased farmer yields and revenues, both for better-resourced farmers (who used non-adapted hybrids and fertilizer prior to the intervention) as well as less well-resourced farmers (who did not). This theoretical and empirical evidence suggests news ways for thinking about seed systems in areas typified by high levels of agro-ecological heterogeneity.",
keywords = "Innovation, Kenya, Maize, Randomized controlled trial, Seed systems, Technology adoption",
author = "Bird, {Samuel S.} and Carter, {Michael R.} and Lybbert, {Travis J.} and Mary Mathenge and Timothy Njagi and Emilia Tjernstr{\"o}m",
note = "Funding Information: We are grateful for comments from Brian Dillon, Jim Gaffney, GianCarlo Moschini, Wendong Zhang, and seminar participants at PacDev 2021, MWIEDC 2021, Iowa State University, the University of California–Davis, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. We thank our survey respondents for their enthusiasm, generosity, and patience during the course of this research. We also thank the management of Western Seed for their patient understanding and willingness to cooperate with the rigors of a randomized control trial built around their market expansion. Funding: This work was supported by Acumen, a non-profit impact investment firm; the American people through the United States Agency for International Development Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-L-12-00001 with the BASIS Feed the Future Innovation Lab; and the Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative (ATAI) administered by JPAL at MIT and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Acumen, USAID, the US Government, or other funders. Funding Information: Funding: This work was supported by Acumen , a non-profit impact investment firm; the American people through the United States Agency for International Development Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-L-12-00001 with the BASIS Feed the Future Innovation Lab; and the Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative (ATAI) administered by JPAL at MIT and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Acumen, USAID, the US Government, or other funders. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Elsevier B.V.",
year = "2022",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1016/j.jdeveco.2022.102885",
language = "English",
volume = "157",
journal = "Journal of Development Economics",
issn = "0304-3878",
publisher = "Elsevier",
}
