Maize Creolization: Strategic Opportunism in Research on the Impacts of Plant Breeding

1. Maize Creolization: Strategic Opportunism in Research on the Impacts of Plant Breeding  Mauricio Bellon Bioversity International

2. Objectives of this presentation To tell the story of maize creolization as a useful concept for assessing the impact of improved maize varieties in the livelihoods of poor Mexican farmers To derive insight into the research process on impact assessment from this experience

3. Background: maize in Mexico Maize is the most important crop cultivated in Mexico Center of domestication and diversity Plays a central role in the diets of both urban and rural Mexicans, particularly the poor Occupies the largest area planted to any crop in the country and a large number of farmers are engaged in its production In spite of half a century of maize plant breeding and presence of major seed companies only about 20% of area planted to improved varieties Negligible adoption among the poor Concern over the future of maize agriculture among the poor with introduction of NAFTA and increasingly market-inspired government policies

4. A simple model of diversity in crop variety choice Why do farmers maintain different varieties of a crop? The crop plays multiple roles in their lives and livelihoods, reflected in the demand for multiple attributes The link between the crop and farmers� well-being is derived from the extent that the crop provides these attributes Unlikely that one variety will provide all needed attributes at the individual or group level, hence multiple varieties are required Choosing what variety to plant involves trade-offs continually selecting seed of these varieties for replanting and, in some cases, promoting their hybridization with landraces, either by design or by accident, produce what many of them recognize as �creolized Creolization lessens these trade-offs by adapting improved varieties to farmers� conditions, thereby giving them new options continually selecting seed of these varieties for replanting and, in some cases, promoting their hybridization with landraces, either by design or by accident, produce what many of them recognize as �creolized Creolization lessens these trade-offs by adapting improved varieties to farmers� conditions, thereby giving them new options

5. Maize Creolization Creolization: the process by which farmers expose and adapt maize improved varieties to their conditions and management Poor farmers benefit from improved maize germplasm through creolization Creolization ignored in conventional impact assessment studies of maize plant breeding Creolization lessens trade-offs of improved varieties by adapting them to farmers� conditions, thereby giving them new options, particularly to the poor Studying maize creolization is complex, requires a very good understanding of farmers� concepts and practices key hypothesis is that poor farmers benefit from improved germplasm through creolization. While improved varieties possess desirable traits not found in landraces, they may lack useful traits landraces do have (e.g., a distinguishing feature of landraces is their local adaptation); hence farmers choosing between them face trade-offs in the traits they seek. Creolization lessens these trade-offs by adapting improved varieties to farmers� conditions, thereby giving them new options key hypothesis is that poor farmers benefit from improved germplasm through creolization. While improved varieties possess desirable traits not found in landraces, they may lack useful traits landraces do have (e.g., a distinguishing feature of landraces is their local adaptation); hence farmers choosing between them face trade-offs in the traits they seek. Creolization lessens these trade-offs by adapting improved varieties to farmers� conditions, thereby giving them new options

6. Creolization and poverty alleviation 1997 re-study of a village in Chiapas, Mexico originally studied in 1988 Multiple maize varieties planted Different varieties considered for the �rich� and others for the �poor� Farmers identified clearly the process of creolization and creolized varieties Data on wealth ranking, farmers� practices and knowledge Conference �Assessing the Impact of Agricultural Research on Poverty Alleviation� San Jose, Costa Rica, September 14-16, 1999

7. Key conclusions of the work Creolized varieties provide farmers with similar advantages to improved varieties (e.g. higher yield, less lodging, shorter duration) but with less disadvantages (less management intensity) This is consistent with the view that creolization allows more constrained--poorer--farmers to benefit from useful traits of improved germplasm These results are only for one community and cannot be generalized However, if the patterns observed are widespread, these findings have important implications for: assessing the impact of CIMMYT in Mexico and Central America reaching the poor the impact of IPR (e.g. UPOV) on poor farmers

8. SPIA-initiated studies on impact on poverty alleviation SPIA call for studies on the impact of CGIAR on poverty alleviation Propose to study maize creolization in tropical lowlands of Mexico (Chiapas and Oaxaca) Initially reluctance, but finally accepted Use of Sustainable Livelihoods Framework Done in conjunction with several other studies Use of quantitative and qualitative methods Participant observation by anthropologists, focus group discussions, socioeconomic survey, agronomic evaluations Adato, M. and R. Meinzen-Dick, eds. Agricultural Research, Livelihoods and Poverty: Studies of Economic and Social Impacts in Six Countries. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

9. Key conclusions of the work Farmers planted different types of maize varieties No overall superior maize type; all types have advantages and disadvantages. In the subsistence-oriented farming systems, landraces seem to have more advantages In the commercially-oriented systems hybrids seem to have more advantages In both systems, creolized varieties are commonly planted by different socioeconomic groups, particularly the poor Creolized varieties occupy a niche that shifts according to the availability of improved germplasm and the orientation of farmers� maize production

10. FAO-sponsored research �Study to develop quantitative measures of the costs of accessing crop genetic diversity and the services they provide� Re-study of the Chiapas sites in 2005 Comparable methods to SPIA-study 2001 Dramatic changes in 3 years Wide adoption of commercial maize hybrids, loss of landraces, but increased use of creolized varieties Commercial seed companies playing a key role Government subsidized hybrid seed and enable commercial seed companies to operate, also support for marketing maize in national markets Agreement among actors (seed companies, farmers, gov�t officials) that without government subsidies to hybrid seed, adoption would not have happened to the extent that did

11. Lessons A theory or conceptual model that anchors the work Use of multiple methods and triangulation Openness to listening to others Identify key messages from actors in the process i.e. farmers and transform them into testable hypotheses Re-study same sites over time with comparable methods Go from circumscribed case studies to more widely representative ones Strategic opportunism: ability to adapt and/or modify our model, methods and results to address new opportunities: issues identified or �imposed� by others or by new circumstances or insights