EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY BASED SEED MULTIPLICATION IN ENHANCING FARMERS\u2019 KNOWLEDGE AND ACCESS TO IMPROVED BEAN SEEDS IN WESTERN UGANDA

Community Based Seed Multiplication (CBSM) approaches have been used by agricultural research and development actors to improve farmers\u2019 access to quality seed in many developing countries. CBSM can be private or public driven. However, ways of designing the CBSM for optimum effectiveness under public and private contexts are not well understood. This study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of public sector driven CBSM and factors influencing farmers\u2019 access to improved bean seed. The study was conducted in Kamwenge District, western Uganda. An expost facto post-test only design was used to compare the knowledge and accesss outcomes for membership and non-membership farmers. Data were collected from 249 respondents, using a structured questionnaire. Ordered probit regression was used to assess factors which influenced farmers\u2019 access to improved bean seeds. Results indicated that Public sector driven CBSM had a significant positive effect (P=0.000) on farmers\u2019 knowledge at (P 640.05) and access to improved bean seeds. Farmers\u2019 access to improved bean seeds was positively influenced by income obtained from beans (P=0.011), distance from farm to the nearest bean market (P=0.036). The CBSM was more beneficial to membership farmers in remote areas compared to those closer to formal seed markets. We recommend that a public sector driven CBSM should target all farmers directly, most especially those in remote areas who lack access to commercial seed outlets.Les approches de la Multiplication Communautaire Des Graines (CBSM) ont \ue9t\ue9 utilis\ue9es par les acteurs de recherches agricoles et du d\ue9veloppement pour am\ue9liorer l\u2019acc\ue8s des agriculteurs aux semences de qualit\ue9 dans plusieurs pays en d\ue9veloppement. CBSM peut \ueatre priv\ue9es ou publiques. Cependant, les mani\ue8res de concevoir les CBSM pour une efficacit\ue9 optimale dans les contextes publics et priv\ue9s ne sont pas encore bien comprises. Cette \ue9tude \ue9tait conduite pour explorer l\u2019efficacit\ue9 du secteur public utilisant les CBSM et les facteurs influen\ue7ant l\u2019acc\ue8s des producteurs aux semences des vari\ue9t\ue9s am\ue9lior\ue9es du haricot. Cette \ue9tude \ue9tait conduite dans le district de Kamwenge, dans l\u2019Ouest d\u2019Ouganda. Le design bas\ue9 sur expost facto post-test \ue9tait utilis\ue9 pour comparer la connaissance et les revenus de l\u2019acc\ue8s pour les agriculteurs membres et non membres. Les donn\ue9es \ue9taient collect\ue9es sur 249 r\ue9pondants, en utilisant un questionnaire structur\ue9. La r\ue9gression ordonn\ue9e de Probit \ue9tait utilis\ue9e pour \ue9valuer les facteurs qui influencent l\u2019acc\ue8s des producteurs aux semences du haricot am\ue9lior\ue9. Les r\ue9sultats ont indiqu\ue9 que le secteur public utilisant les CBSM a un effet significatif positif (P=0,000) sur la connaissance des producteurs (P<0,05) et l\u2019acc\ue8s aux semences du haricot am\ue9lior\ue9. L\u2019acc\ue8s des producteurs aux semences du haricot am\ue9lior\ue9 \ue9tait positivement influenc\ue9 par le revenu obtenu du haricot (P=0,011), la distance du champ au march\ue9 plus proche du haricot (P=0,036). Le CBSM \ue9tait plus b\ue9n\ue9fique aux producteurs membres des milieux recul\ue9s que ceux proches du march\ue9 formel de semences. Nous recommandons qu\u2019un secteur public conduisant CBSM se focalise sur tous les producteurs directement, plus sp\ue9cialement ceux-l\ue0 dans les milieux recul\ue9s qui manquent d\u2019acc\ue8s aux exutoires de semences commerciales

THE PERCEIVED ROLE OF INNOVATION PLATFORMS IN ADDRESSING THE AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN COLLECTIVE PROBLEMS: AN EMPIRICAL APPLICATION OF TRANSACTION COST THEORY

Agricultural innovation platforms are increasingly seen as a panacea for mitigating the agricultural value chain challenges through enabling the co-evolution of different elements in the innovation process. A number of previous studies on IPs show processes for their formation and contribution to innovations. Very few studies have attempted to investigate the perceived benefits from platforms as important determinants for actor participation. Using a sample of 319 randomly selected farmers from one innovation platform in Uganda, it was established that the uncertain markets for the agricultural output, sources of inputs and agricultural information were perceived to be the key motivators for the formation of the platform. The study found a positive significant relationship between transaction cost challenges of environmental uncertainty and structural embeddedness (p<0.01) and frequency of interaction and structural embeddedness (p<0.05). On the other hand, environmental uncertainty, asset specificity and frequency of interactions were significantly correlated with relational embeddedness (p<0.05). However, the complexity of tasks in the value chain was not significantly correlated with structural and relational embeddedness (p≥0.05). It therefore means that to ensure effective participation and implementation of platform activities, efforts ought to be placed on fulfilling the platform’s promise as a forum for mitigation of transaction cost challenges such as inadequate markets for both output and inputs, customized products and inputs and lack of valuable agricultural information