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Gomez, Jose Alfonso Aguirre; Bellon, Mauricio R.; Smale, Melinda. |
Four environments with contrasting potential for agricultural productivity and infrastructure development were identified in Guanajuato State, Mexico, to test hypotheses about the relationship of maize biological diversity to the region's potential for agricultural productivity and infrastructure development. Samples of all types of maize grown by a random sample of farmers were collected from each environment. The maize samples were classified by race, racial mixture, or type of 'creolized' or improved variety. Landraces were the dominant maize class in all four environments; the use of improved varieties was negligible. Several diversity indices were calculated, and no statistically significant differences were apparent between the environments with the... |
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Crop Production/Industries. |
Ano: 1998 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7671 |
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Smale, Melinda; Bellon, Mauricio R.; Gomez, Jose Alfonso Aguirre. |
This study uses an approach derived from models of the private and public characteristics of goods to illustrate (1) the overriding importance of variety attributes in farmers' decisions to allocate area among varieties of maize landraces and (2) the significance of farmers' perceptions of changes in the maize germplasm base in the surrounding community in their choices. Diversity indices and the concept of 'scale', as understood in ecology, are adapted and employed to test hypotheses empirically. Though a case study of maize farmers in Southeastern Guanajuato, the research raises methodological issues for models of variety choice and has policy implications for the potential to conserve maize genetic diversity on farms in Mexico. |
Tipo: Working or Discussion Paper |
Palavras-chave: Crop Production/Industries. |
Ano: 1999 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7669 |
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