7/31/2019 Ensuring that men and women farmers opinions matter in rice varietal improvement through PVS in stress-prone

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To provide information to rice breeders about specific rice varieties

that farmers demand.

Thelma Paris,1 Amelia Cueno,1

Digna Manzanilla,1 Gerlie Tatlonghari,1

Donald Villanueva,1 Hari Nath Singh2

1 International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baos,

Laguna, Philippines2 Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and

Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India

Farmers opinions through visual ratingare systematicallycollectedandused

n selection decision throughpreference analysis (PA) in researcher-managed

trials. Below is the PA protocol.

Farmers selection of released or pre-

released advanced lines and local varieties

tested on-station and in farmers fields.

A simple way for breeders and

agronomists to learn which rice

varieties perform well on-station

and on-farm and to obtain feedback

from potential end users in the

early phase of the breeding cycle.

A means for social scientists and

breeders to identify the specific

traits that farmers look for in rice

varieties suitable for their specific

environments and livelihood.

Main purpose of PVS

~ PVS includes researcher-managed (R-M) trials or mother trials, farmer-managed

(F-M) trials or baby trials, and sensory evaluation of farmer-preferred lines/varieties.

At least 30% of the participants should be women farmers.

IRRI emphasizes the importance ofPVSprotocols in rice breeding programs.

Sensory evaluation

is a useful process in evaluatingthe cooking and eating quality of

the top two preferred lines

tolerant to specific stress

(i.e., submergence, salinity,

sodicity, drought), tested in R-M

trials plus the farmers local

variety. The evaluation may be

conducted one month after

harvesting. This evaluation could

help confirm whether the

lines/varieties selected by

farmers through visual rating

before harvest are acceptable interms of eating and cooking

qualities and their cultural needs.

To enhance the capacity ofNARES partners in

PVS in various research projects, a number of

training courses were given in-country and at IRRI .

Farmer-managed trials/baby trialsines/varieties selected from preference analysis

on researcher-managed trials are tested by farmers

n their own fields using their resources and level of

management. Farmers ratings, comments, and

yield reports of preferred varieties are the main

outputs of baby trials and are compared with

heir own previously grown varieties.Men and women have common and different varietal preferences based on

gender roles. Therefore their opinions should be considered in varietal improvem

This mother-baby trials approach in plant breeding is found to be an effective strategy in

developing and disseminating improved crop varieties in stressed environments by many

international agricultural research centers (IARCs) under the Consultative Group on

International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ~ Bellon and Reeves, 2002

Data from PVS should be considered in the varietal release system to speed updelivery and acceptance of new varieties by farmers on a large scale.

India

Bangladesh

Nepal

Vietnam

Thailand

Cambodia

Laos

Indonesia

Philippines

How to ensure that men and women farmers opinions matter:

Collect information on rice varieties, the reasons for farmer

adoption/disadoption, and preferred traits of rice varieties.

Involve men and women in selecting the best lines included in R-M

trials and listen to their reasons for selection.

Involve men and women in evaluating the eating,

cooking, and postharvest qualities of two best lines.

Consider men and womens feedback on the lines/

varieties that they tested in their own fields.

Enhance the capacity of partners

(scientists and farmers).