Abstract

UZCANGA PEREZ, Nelda Guadalupe et al. Farmers preferences for improved and native maize seeds in the Yucatán Península, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2017, vol.8, n.5, pp.1021-1033. ISSN 2007-0934.  https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v8i5.105.

In order to provide information regarding farmers' preferences for improved and native maize seeds, a semi-structured questionnaire was applied to 210 maize producers from the highest-producing municipalities in the Yucatán Península of which five municipalities were located in Campeche, Two in Yucatán and one in Quintana Roo. The producers were randomly selected and the sample size was calculated with stratified sampling by classifying the producers into two groups or strata according to the planted area. Considering the number of years of use of the seed, the degree of satisfaction of the products obtained, the agronomic advantages of the seed and its availability in the market, an indicator was generated that allowed to classify the producers in three categories according to the adoption level of the seed component. As a result, only 97 farmers in the sample know the seeds generated by INIFAP (H-520 and VS-536). Of these, 16.7% started the adoption process and interrupted it, 7.1% knew it and adopted it, 12.9 % knew it, but did not adopt it. The native preferred materials of were Tzib-bacal and Tuxpeño for the preparation of tortillas, pozole and atole. Most of the interviewees are mainly engaged in agriculture and their production is marketed locally or in regional markets.

Keywords : improved seeds; maize; producer typology; technology adoption.