Despite breakthroughs in genetic innovation such as drought-tolerant, pest-resistant, and biofortified crop varieties, many farmers continue to grow older, familiar varieties, even as the new alternatives promise higher yields, improved nutrition, and greater climate resilience. This is one reason why research efforts to quantify the impact of genetic innovation often end with documenting adoption rates—and ask, how many farmers are taking up these new varieties?
Studying adoption rates is important, yet does not provide insight into the new varieties’ impacts on smallholders’ livelihoods. To fill this gap, the CGIAR Science Group on Genetic Innovation (which will continue as the Breeding for Tomorrow and Genebanks Science Program) started a new approach to impact assessment: Designing and implementing a series of coordinated impact evaluations of genetic innovations across CGIAR centers. The focus on impacts, and the coordination across centers, offers a more comprehensive approach to understanding how new varieties affect smallholders.