Abstract
Variety selection and diversification are climate change adaptation practices pursued by Colombian common bean producers. We investigate the drivers behind common bean variety selection and diversification in one of the most important common bean production regions in Colombia —Santander. The effects of climate change on this region are expected to be elevation driven. Exploiting the relationship between elevation-driven weather variations and climate change perception in Santander, we estimate an alternative-specific conditional logistic regression model to identify the determinants of common bean variety selection from a survey of producers. Using an ordered-logistic regression model, we also investigate the drivers behind common bean variety diversification within this farming community. We find that farms' elevation, household composition, and seed certification are some of the most important drivers behind farmers' common bean variety selection in Santander. We also find that varieties that sell at higher prices and have shorter vegetative cycles tend to be more preferred by farmers. Finally, farmers who receive more help from family members and own a tractor tend to grow more than one variety in the same production cycle. Common bean breeding programmes can exploit these drivers to design communication strategies to maximize uptake of newly developed common bean phenotypes.
Highlights
Colombian weather patterns are elevation-driven and strongly influenced by El Nino Oscillation (ENSO) (Cepal, 2012; IPCC, 2014; Buhr et al, 2018)
The ENSO phenomenon has an important impact on common bean production areas in Colombia
Low-elevation farms are more affected by droughts and high temperatures, whereas high-elevation farms are mostly affected by extreme weather variations and unpredictable sea sons
Summary
Colombian weather patterns are elevation-driven and strongly influenced by El Nino Oscillation (ENSO) (Cepal, 2012; IPCC, 2014; Buhr et al, 2018). La Nina phase tends to generate lower daily temperatures, more daily precipitation, and more instances of flood and extreme temperature variations, espe cially in high-altitude geographical areas (Poveda and Mesa, 1996; Poveda et al, 2011; Henao et al, 2020) This weather instability gen erates an asymmetric impact on agricultural productivity. While el Nino phase increases the prevalence of abiotic stresses in crops, la Nina phase increases the prevalence of biotic stresses and the risk of crop destruc tion due to floods and landslides (Santos, 2006; Duque et al, 2013; IDEAM, 2013) These patterns are expected to get worsened by climate change, negatively impacting 60% of the current Colombian agricultural production areas and 80% of the crops that Colombian farmers currently cultivate (Feola and Binder, 2010; Ramirez-Villegas et al, 2012; Eit zinger et al, 2014; IPCC, 2014)
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