Effect of Biofortified Beans Adoption on Socio - Economic Welfare On Farmers In Eastern Rwanda

Abstract

Common bean has emerged to be an important staple food for the majority of household in Rwanda. Its productivity is a function of the usage of improved inputs like seeds, fertilizers, combined by farm management practices; it is this regard that biofertified beans have been introduced as improved varieties. Adoption of biofortified beans is important because of its high productivity, high nutritional levels, and high income crop compared to ordinary field bean. However adoption of biofortified beans is still remaining low. This study is initiated with the objective of assessing the effect of adoption of biofortified beans on the social economic welfare of farmers in Nyagatare district in Eastern province of Rwanda. The method that used is stratified survey with 197 households’ heads’ respondents selected by multi stage random sampling and cluster sampling. Thereafter qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used to gather the data. Data was analyzed using probit model for finding out the factors influenced adoption of biofortified beans and Propensity Score Match to determine the effect of adoption on bean farm yield and income between adopters and non-adopters groups. The results showed that, farmers’ group membership, livestock holdings, agricultural extension services, total land holdings and total land bean size have influenced the adoption of biofortified beans. The results showed that in 2016 A, 2015 B, 2015 A and 2014 B, the mean bean yields were 1527.059 kg ha-1, 1440.247 kg ha-1, 1661.36 kg ha-1 and 814.44 kgha-1 in adopters group while in non-adopters group, the bean yield were 840.4444 kgha-1, 825.4918 kgha-1, 831.23 kgha-1 and 426.92 kg ha-1 respectively. The ATT in 2016 A, 2015 B, 2015 A and 2014 B was 673.49, 620.24, 809.74 and 397.74 respectively. Those results were statistically significant at 95% of confidence level. In those four agricultural seasons, the farmers’ incomes were calculated based on price and quantity of bean sold. The analysis showed a highly significant difference between the income from sales of beans among adopters and non-adopters at 95% of confidence level. This research shows that bean yield and income are higher in adopters’ group more than non-adopters. The research recommends that farmers should be grouped into farmers groups and consolidates their small pieces of land to bigger parcels for enhanced biofortified beans cultivation.