Economic analysis of research and technology transfer of millet, sorghum, and cowpeas in Niger

This low but positive conclusion can be explained by five factors. (1) Niger"s climate is characterized by periodic droughts which require farmers to restock their seeds and to mobilize scarce resources to recultivate the land, leaving no resources for propagating new varieties that require even modest levels of purchased inputs. (2) Technology adoption is constrained by a low market price for cereal surplus, as well as by an inadequate marketing, transportation, and credit infrastructure. (3) The seed multiplication system developed with USAID assistance has proven unwieldy. Since most varieties could be mass-selected by farmers, there was little demand for multiplied seed in years of good rainfall, and high subsidies were required to support system operations. However, following years of drought, farmers cited seed unavailability as a major constraint to adopting improved varieties. (4) Despite a series of extension projects funded by donors from 1975 to 1990, extension efforts were unable to reach many farmers. Also, the level of extensionist training remained low. (5) INRAN"s research orientation began to shift from a science- to a demand-driven focus only in the mid-1980s. The research system has also been underfunded. Overall, however, the report places INRAN in a positive light; the institution is still young, relatively small, and inexperienced, but has, with very little funding, become a functioning research organization with an integrated system of on-farm trials that should help it effectively address Niger"s production problems. For the future, INRAN might be well-advised to focus less on plant breeding, given Niger"s climate, and more on crop, animal, and resource management. It should also improve cooperation with regional and international research institutions (nearby ICRISAT at Sadore is conducting millet breeding research).