Maize variety traits for different needs: using the means-end chains method to identify preferences and perceived benefits among smallholder farmers in Kenya

Abstract Maize breeding programmes have developed a new generation of hybrid varieties to improve smallholders’ productivity and enhance climate resilience. However, varietal turnover in Kenya remains low, suggesting that new hybrid maize varieties may not fully address smallholders’ needs or that knowledge about them remains limited. In this exploratory study, we applied a method referred to as means-end chains to understand the attributes smallholders consider when differentiating maize seed products, and the importance and value of these attributes. We interviewed 82 smallholders in two counties in Kenya and analysed the data by county and gender. Smallholders used a range of attributes to differentiate maize seed products, indicating familiarity with most maize varieties included in the study. However, the attributes that farmers used to distinguish between maize seed products were not always those of highest value when choosing seeds for planting. Preferences for attributes differed between counties and were shaped by climate and the importance of maize in livelihoods. Women and men used and preferred similar attributes, yet their choices were informed by different underlying motivations and values. Overall, participants highly valued ‘higher yield’, ‘harvest assurance’ and ‘earliness’, reflecting diverse household uses of maize to support food security, income generation and well-being. The findings suggest that farmers use a portfolio of maize varieties to meet different household needs. These results have implications for efforts to promote varietal turnover and complement previous studies by offering guidance for demand-led breeding programmes and other seed systems actors working to strengthen food security for smallholder farmers.