b"be accurate. What used to be considered mid-altitude in Ethiopia might now perform best at a lower altitude, or a high-altitude might perform like a mid-altitude variety. On an aggregate level, (the tricot approach) was very effective at putting novelty and diversity in the fields of farmers, Borman says. We also saw that farmers saved and exchanged seed of the varieties that they preferred. TRICOT IN ACTION IN COSTA RICASergio Puerto, a PhD candidate in Applied Economics at Cornell University, utilized the tricot approach in a slightly different way. He collaborated with the National Plant Breeding Program in Costa Rica to examine how farmers trait preferences influence adoption rates of new varieties of beans. He conducted his study with 400 bean growers in two different regions of Costa Rica in 2021-2022.What I did in my dissertation research was to adapt tricot methodology to answer a more economic question than an agro-nomic one, Puerto says. I wanted to implement tricot to get to know farmers preferences and to estimate the performance and adoption of new seeds in a systematic and objective way. Sergio Puerto is a PhD candidate in Applied Economics at Cornell University. Photo: Sergio Puerto The key characteristic of the new seed was drought resistance, but during the trial period in this population, drought was not especially relevant. When breeders dont target the characteristics The tricot approach can be used at the end of a breeding pro- farmers want, the farmers dont adopt. This was intuitive, but there gram (late-stage testing) to have end users test varieties and aidwas more to the story.in the approval process for release. It can also be used for the pro- I also found that farmers who adopt the seeds that they prefer motion of seeds in already released crop varieties to assess theirthe most are more productive, Puerto says. Their seed is more suitability for specific regions. productive, meaning that breeders are good at creating genetic gain and creating a seed that is as profitable and productive for farmers, TRICOT IN ACTION IN ETHIOPIA as long as that seed reaches the correct farmers. Gareth Borman, a Seed System Advisor at Wageningen University,The second part of Puertos research was to go back after a focuses on seed systems development in low- and middle-incomeseason to offer each farmer a single new variety for purchase. One countries. He explained that professionally developed seeds dontgroup was offered a variety they preferred in the first part of the always make it to the commercial sector due to the biology of thetrial. The other group was offered a recommended variety, analogous crop, economics or legislation.to the typical release of new seed varieties in the country. These were developed through professional breeding programsPuerto found when farmers can adopt the variety they prefer, with the intention to either increase productivity or resistance toadoption rate was about 40% higher than when they were simply certain abiotic and biotic stresses, Borman says. Without a prof- offered a recommended seed.it-making mechanism to deploy these varieties, and [given] a lackVan Etten expressed the importance of studying the interac-of public funding to promote them, sometimes they remain on thetion between the person and the seed, and Puerto reflected that shelf and dont get into the hands of farmers. Thats where seedsentiment. systems work comes in. If we want breeders to know what farmers want, they need a Borman has spent significant time exploring different mecha- lot more support, Puerto says. They are great scientists, but they nisms for getting seeds into the hands of farmers. When he discov- are not economists, they are not social scientists.ered the tricot approach, he saw its strong potential for successfully increasing diversity in the fields. WHERE TO NEXT?Using the tricot approach, he ran a three-year experiment inFirst and foremost, the tricot approach is available to anyone want-Ethiopia to determine which varieties farmers preferred and why.ing to use it. While the concept is simple to understand, a key factor Ultimately, 350 unique varieties of 20 crops were distributed threein its success depends on the statistical method used to analyze the at a time to approximately 35,000 smallholder farmer participants.gathered data. The experiment was focused on deploying crop varieties alreadyWe've spent 10 years on refining the methodology, the soft-on the shelves of research institutes.ware, the statistics, and implementing new statistical software, van We tried to get our hands on whatever was available, BormanEtten says.says. The strategy was no discrimination against crops or varietiesThe resulting comprehensive online platform, ClimMob, isif it's out there, let's just take it. available free for non-commercial use. This aids users with setting Within the formal seed systems, some traits like cookabilityup a trial, gathering data and running the statistics.or the ability to successfully turn into usable flour arent sufficientlyThe tricot approach has been adopted by breeding programs in considered. On the other hand, a variety might be considered suit- over 20 countries in the Global South. This includes more than 30 able for certain conditions or agroecology but assumed not a fit forcrops spanning at least 150,000 plots. elsewhere.We do not always actively support the projects, van Etten When selecting which varieties to give the farmers, Bormanexplains. Some people do their own thing with the software, so put aside such assumptions and distributed varieties outside thethese estimates are conservative. expected regions.The tricot approach empowers farmers and researchers alike, This release of assumptions also addresses climate change,and the positive impact on food security and farming livelihoods since geographical recommendations for a variety may no longeris already evident.34ISEED WORLD EUROPEISEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | NOVEMBER 2024"