Slow varietal turnover or overlooked dynamics at the household level? A study of smallholder maize farmers in Kenya

Crop improvement plays an important role in enhancing yield potential and strengthening climate resilience in agricultural systems. Although adoption rates of hybrid maize varieties in Kenya are relatively high, the replacement of older varieties with newer ones remains below expectations. Varietal turnover is commonly used to assess the diffusion and impact of new generations of hybrid varieties at the national or regional level; however, little is known about variety replacement at the household level. This study explores maize variety use and replacement among 82 smallholder households in two Kenyan counties. Farmers were interviewed to document changes in their maize variety portfolios over three consecutive growing seasons, including both long and short rainy seasons, and to explore the reasons underlying these decisions. The results show that farmers in our study managed diverse and dynamic portfolios of local and hybrid maize varieties. Most farmers changed their maize portfolio between seasons, with many sowing a variety more or a variety less, and switching both from older to newer hybrid varieties and from newer to older ones. These findings indicate that farmers were not reluctant to switch varieties. Farmers’ decisions were driven primarily by trait preferences such as yield potential, early maturity, and drought tolerance, alongside experimentation and economic constraints related to fertiliser use. Overall, this study shows how a household-level perspective helps to understand variety use and replacement dynamics that are not captured by conventional varietal turnover studies.