抄録
Maize is a major crop in eastern Africa in terms of production, consumption, and income generation. Significant progress has been made in research and development of improved technologies for growing maize. One of the major objectives is to develop maize varieties containing important traits such as pest and disease resistance, early maturity, high yields, and good nutritional quality. Most new varieties are designed to be adapted to wider agro-ecological zones.
Though the highland zones of the region are hig-potential areas for maize production, only a few of the improved varieties adapted to the region have been accepted by farmers. In addition, conventional maize is deficient in lysine and tryptophan. Adoption of quality protein maize (QPM) could alleviate the hunger and malnutrition faced by the farming community in the region.
The main study objective was to evaluate the dissemination and adoption of conventional and nutritionally enhanced highland maize varieties in Trans-Nzoia County. A survey was conducted among both subsistence and commercially oriented farmers. The results indicated that socioeconomic characteristics were associated with hybrid adoption. Overall, more than 90% of farmers grow hybrids, but the slow pace of adoption of new varieties is a cause for concern. There was a strong correlation between hybrid adoption and seed-to-grain price ratio for both subsistence farmers and commercially oriented farmers. There is evidence of a commercial orientation in both subsistence and large-scale farmers and hence the necessity to obtain seed maize at an affordable price. The willingness to grow QPM is a response to address protein inadequacy in the diet. The findings of this study should be very useful to policy makers when designing public awareness programs and promoting maize technology among farmers.
