A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE ADVANTAGES OF QUINOA COMPARED WITH MAJOR COMPETING CROPS IN WAG-HIMIRA ZONE, ETHIOPIA
Abstract
A household survey was conducted to assess the cultivation of quinoa in Wag-himira zone, Ethiopia. Farmers’ perceptions of quinoa, its profitability, and relevant production practices and constraints, as well as their acceptance of the crop and willingness to grow it, were profiled. A total of 247 farmers were purposively sampled based on their involvement in quinoa farming for at least one year. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, then analyzed using descriptive statistics, a cost-benefit analysis, a Likert rating scale and a ranking index. The results reveal that except for poor resistance to insect pests and marketability, farmers had a good perception of quinoa according to most preference parameters. It had a higher grain yield than teff, but had lower grain and straw yields than other competing crops. The gross margin was higher than for other crops, and quinoa was ranked third according to its benefit-cost ratio, behind sorghum and faba beans. The farmers’ sensory preferences for quinoa food types were injera, bread, kitta and porridge in descending order. Among the respondents, 67.6% were interested in continuing with quinoa production, but the rest refused due to labor shortages, market problems, seed shortages and food recipe knowledge gaps. Susceptibility to pests, marketing and straw palatability problems and the requirement for fertile soil were constraints on quinoa production. Therefore, concerned bodies such as research institutes should pay attention to developing and/or devising appropriate pest control mechanisms. Seed-producing and marketing cooperatives should be strengthened to make quinoa crop production viable.
Keywords
production constraint; quinoa technology; sensory evaluation
References
Kindye, A., Ademe, M. (2020). The cost-benefit and comparative advantage of quinoa variety with major competing crops grown in Wag-himera Zone Eastern Amhara Ethiopia. Unpublished techinical report. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350896909
Lutz, M., Bascuñán-Godoy, L. (2017). The revival of quinoa: A crop for health. In: V. Waisundara, M. Shiomi (Eds.), Superfood and functional food – An overview and its utilization to processed foods (p. 37–54). Intechopen.
Maliro, M.F.A., Abang, M.M., Mukankusi, C., Lung’aho, M., Fenta, B., Wanderi, S., Kapa, R., Okiro, O.A., Koma, E., Mwaba, C., Isse, M.M., Bazile, D. (2021). Prospects for quinoa adaptation and utilization in Eastern and Southern Africa: Technological, insti-tutional and policy considerations. Addis Ababa, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb2351en
Maliro, M.F.A., Guwela, V.F., Nyaika, J., Murphy, K.M. (2017). Preliminary studies of the performance of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) genotypes under irrigated and rainfed conditions of central Malawi. Front Plant Sci, 8, 227. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00227
Mihiretu, A., Asresu, M., Wubet, A. (2019a). Participatory assessment of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) production practices in marginal dry lands of Wag-lasta, Ethiopia. Archiv. Agric. Environ. Sci., 4(3), 288–294. https://doi.org/10.26832/24566632.2019.040305
Mihiretu, A., Assefa, N., Wubets, A. (2019b). Participatory evaluation of sorghum technologies in the marginal dryland zones of Wag-lasta, Ethiopia. Cogent Food Agric., 5, 1671114. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2019.1671114
Ogwal-Kasimiro, O.J., Wakulira, M., Kiyini, R., Mwebaze, M., Yiga, D. (2012). Dissemination of agricultural technologies: A new approach for Uganda. Paper presented at Third RUFORUM Biennial Meeting 24–28 September, Entebbe, Uganda.
Park, J.H., Lee, Y.J., Kim, Y.H., Yoon, K.S. (2017). Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) seeds cultivated in Korea. Prev. Nutr. Food Sci., 22(3), 195–202. https://doi.org/10.3746/pnf.2017.22.3.195
Qureshi, A., Daba, A. (2020). Differential analysis of five quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa W.) genotypes under different salt stresses in a controlled environment. Am.-Eurasian J. Sust. Agr., 14, 14–21. 10.22587/aejsa.2020.14.1.2
Rambal, S., Ratte, J.P., Mouillot, F., Winkel, T. (2015). Trends in quinoa yield over the Southern Bolivian Altiplano: Lessons from climate and land-use projections. In: K. Murphy, J. Matanguihan, Quinoa: Improvement and Sustainable Production (p. 47–62). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118628041.ch4
Ruiz, K.B., Biondi, S., Martínez, E.A., Orsini, F., Antognoni, F., Jacobsen, S.E. (2016). Quinoa – a model crop for understanding salt-tolerance mechanisms in halophytes. Plant Biosyst., 150, 357–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2015.1027317
Vasconcelos, E.S., Echer, M.M., Kliemann, M.A., Lang, M.J. (2019). Selection and recommend of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) genotypes based on the yield genotypic adaptability and stability. Rev. Ceres., 66(2), 117–123. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0034-737x201966020006
Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory Analysis, 2nd edn., New York: Harper and Row.
Researcher, Socioeconomic and Agricultural Extension Ethiopia
Socioeconomic and Agricultural Extension Ethiopia
Associate researcher of socioeconomic , Adet Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box, 08, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This journal permits and encourages authors to post items submitted to the journal on personal websites or institutional repositories both prior to and after publication, while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable, its publication in this journal.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Ademe Mihiretu, Mr., Netsant Assefa, Ms,, Adane Wubet, Mr., PEARL MILLET, THE HOPE OF FOOD SECURITY IN MARGINAL ARID TROPICS: IMPLICATIONS FOR DIVERSIFYING LIMITED CROPPING SYSTEMS , Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development: Vol 67 No 1 (2023)
