The market studies carried out by the socioeconomic team of the Alliance's Tropical Forages program have mainly addressed the regions of East Africa (countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda), Southeast Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
For Latin America and the Caribbean, the case study from Colombia (Enciso et al., 2021) has summarized some of the limitations and challenges encountered in adopting improved pastures. The main ones to mention here are the tradition of extensive livestock farming and its relationship with deforestation (as well as, for the Colombian case, its links with the armed conflict), the low budget for scientific research and the discontinuity of these processes over long periods, the weakness and low impact of programs for the extension and promotion of forage technologies, the unorganic and collaborative relationship between institutions (state, private, research), the difficulties in accessing credit by small and medium-sized producers and the dependence on imported seeds (particularly on the Brazilian market) and the complexities that this entails (particularly with regard to speculation).
It is also recognized that associations and/or cooperatives of producers (dairy, for example) play an important role in the processes of dissemination and scaling up of forage technologies. Among the functions they can perform are collaboration with the research component and/or in the selection of pilot farms for the evaluation of technologies, the dissemination of information about technologies, the supply of inputs, as well as training and extension among associated producers.
For the case of Africa, the livestock industry provides employment and, at least partially, the livelihood of around 70% of the rural inhabitants of the dry areas of West and East Africa, that is, between 110 and 120 million people. Forage farming can increase both productivity and the quality of feed for the dairy sector and, therefore, contribute to improving food security, income and livelihoods of milk-producing families. In addition, the adoption of improved forage technologies generates positive environmental externalities, for example, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock systems.
The most common cultivated forage varieties are local, although slowly, in recent years there has been an increase in interest in Urochloa and M. maximus species, which are expected to be dominant in the future market, as well as Urochloa hybrids developed by CIAT and Grupo Papalotla, such as Mulato II, Cayman, Cobra and Camello. Some studies (Junca Paredes et al., 2023) have shown a market potential for new forage hybrids of more than 400,000 hectares for Urochloa and more than 500,000 for Megathyrsus maximus, with annual economic values of more than 70 and 100 million dollars, respectively. All farms that have adopted improved forages report an increase in milk production, generating higher incomes for producers and better livelihoods for rural families. The risk of forage crop loss is also reduced, as improved varieties are less vulnerable to extreme weather conditions, particularly during the dry season in East Africa.
In interviews with various actors (Flórez et al., 2024), some limitations are identified in the growth of the hybrid seed market in the region: the scarcity of seeds and high prices that limit access to technologies, the complex registration processes for new varieties and the lack of coordination between the different institutions interested in market development (such as state agents, private companies and transnational NGOs), the limited dissemination of knowledge about improved forages, the scarcity of land and the need for more intensive livestock farming, the current approach to promoting the adoption of improved fodder in the region lies entirely in dairy production, neglecting the great potential of the beef sector.
The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is recognized as the most relevant actor for this region when it comes to genetic improvement of forages, although the hybrids developed have been created and adapted for Latin America and then marketed in Africa by Grupo Papalotla, so the creation of hybrids for the specific conditions of this region of the world is still pending.
For the Southeast Asian region, studies are currently being conducted (focusing on countries such as Vietnam and Laos), and their results are expected to be published in 2025.
With regard to the few recent studies on plant breeding and genus in tropical forages, these show that the main characteristics (Traits) demanded by women are those that allow them to manage the food security of their families, but at the same time, generate their own income that affects their economic autonomy and empowerment. In the case of livestock farming, the intensification of milk production can have positive impacts on these women's processes, given the historic association of this population group with milk production and the processing of food derived from it.
Studies carried out in East Africa, these have found that the characteristic (Trait) prioritized by them in livestock feed is what has an effect on the quantity and quality of milk (Tufan, Grando & Meola, 2018; Njuguna et al., 2022), as well as on the speed of its growth (Njuguna et al., 2022). In addition, since women are responsible for family nutrition (Tufan, Grando & Meola, 2018), it also makes sense that their concern is the quantity and quality of milk, no longer thinking exclusively about its commercialization. In the case of Kenya (Njuguna et al., 2022), women mentioned the characteristics of less work in the harvesting and weeding of forages (since they are responsible for planting them, while men are responsible for the commercialization of livestock) and of greater performance, since by selling surpluses (livestock feed, milk or fertilizer) they can hire support for work and dedicate the time they have left to their other activities (domestic, community and care). In a recent study conducted in Kenya (Njiru et al., 2023), improved Brachiaria varieties were highly valued by men and women because they reduce working time (in the case of women, it reduces weeds and weeding time, which is associated with them), they have a high palatability (cows eat more and, therefore, produce more milk), are easy to store and resistant to drought and diseases.
It is essential to take into account the sociocultural differences of the contexts in which seeds are released, since the same characteristics cannot necessarily work everywhere (Traits). This is a fruitful field to be explored in the next joint paths of the Alliance and Papalotla, where multidisciplinary investigative fieldwork is necessary, with a constant and strengthened dialogue between plant breeding teams and social science professionals.