%0 Journal Article
%T Multidisciplinary assessment of agricultural innovation and its impact: a case study of lowland rice variety WITA 9 in C£¿te d¡¯Ivoire
%A Amadou B¨¨ye
%A Amadou Tour¨¦
%A Aminou Arouna
%A Andrew Abiodun Efisue
%A Drissa Silu¨¦
%A John Manful
%A Kazuki Saito
%A Rose Fiamohe
%J Plant Production Science
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1080/1343943X.2019.1667834
%X ABSTRACT Information on comprehensive evaluation of agricultural innovations is often limited. This study provides an overview of multidisciplinary evaluation of a lowland rice variety, WITA 9 (released in C£¿te d¡¯Ivoire in 1998), with respect to its agronomic performance, grain quality, resistance to diseases, adoption by farmers, impact on productivity and farmers¡¯ income, and marketability. WITA 9 had the highest paddy yield among the tested varieties including an international check (IR 64) and recently developed varieties adapted to this country. WITA 9 had a higher amylose content (26¨C28%) than others tested. This study confirmed its resistance to bacterial leaf blight, Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV), and rice blast. A household survey showed that the adoption rate was 24%, its paddy yield advantage was 0.7 t ha¨C1, and its adoption increased farmer¡¯s income by US$ 91 ha¨C1 per season. A market study showed that consumers¡¯ willingness to pay was higher for WITA 9 than any other locally produced rice variety and comparable to imported rice in one of two markets. We conclude that WITA 9 is an ideal innovation for enhancing productivity and rice import substitution in C£¿te d¡¯Ivoire. An effective seed delivery system and enhancing farmers¡¯ and consumers¡¯ awareness of this variety are vital for accelerating impact. Graphical abstrac
%U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1343943X.2019.1667834