Gamification of farmer-participatory priority setting in plant breeding: Design and validation of “AgroDuos”

Abstract

Participatory methods to characterize farmers' needs and preferences play an important role in plant breeding to ensure that new varieties fulfill the needs and expectations of end users. Different farmer-participatory methods for priority setting exist, each one responding differently to trade-offs between various requirements, such as replicability, simplicity, or granularity of the results. All available methods, however, require training, academic skill, and staff time of specially qualified professionals. Breeding and variety replacement may be accelerated by empowering non-academic organizations, such as NGOs and farmer organizations, to carry out farmerparticipatory priority setting. But for this use context, currently no suitable method is available. A new method is needed that demands relatively low skill levels from enumerators and respondents, engages farmers without the need for extrinsic incentives, and gives statistically robust results. To achieve these objectives, we followed principles of "gamification" in the design of AgroDuos, a choice experiment that resembles a card game and that involves pairwise ranking of variety traits. We tested the method in a pilot with 39 farmers in Honduras to define their trait priorities for common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). To validate our results, we independently carried out conjoint analysis, an established method for priority setting in plant breeding. We found that AgroDuos produced valid and useful results while enabling rapid, easy, and engaging data collection. Challenges persist concerning local adaptation and data analysis by non-specialist staff, which may be resolved in the future by providing templates and online support. ARTICLE HISTORY

Off-farm employment increases women's empowerment: Evidence from rice farms in the Philippines

“…Our methodology further demonstrates that experimental approaches can be used to efficiently elicit intrahousehold decision-making behaviour, which can be captured, measured and analysed. In particular, participatory “gamification” approaches (e.g., Steinke and van Etten, 2017) combined with interactive tablet applications such as IGA are powerful methods for eliciting preferences and intrahousehold decision-making processes, while stimulating cognitive efforts of participants through a novel, exciting and engaging exercise.…”

Data synthesis for crop variety evaluation. A review

“…It assumes full transitivity to reduce the number of pairs compared. In other words, when A > B and B > C, the model assumes A > C. An alternative method for priority setting is AgroDuos (Steinke and van Etten 2017 ), which is similar to PAPRIKA but integrates the concept of gamification to increase participants’ engagement (Deterding et al 2011 ), while it does not require interactive updating of questions and can therefore be used without a digital device or Internet connection.…”

Participatory approach of preferred traits, production constraints and mitigation strategies: implications for soybean breeding in Guinea Savannah zone of Ghana

“…Bellon (2001) and Azu (2017) further emphasized that participatory appraisal and participatory varietal and trait selection are essential to assessing farmer and consumer perceptions, preferences, and selection criteria for the crop of interest. Farmer and consumer-participatory appraisal is a widely established method employed in plant breeding to enhance the willingness of farmers and consumers or other stakeholders to accept and effectively use a resulting improved material ( Ceccarelli et al., 2013 ; Steinke and Etten 2017 ). Invariably, farmer-participatory appraisals enable the integration of farmers’ indigenous technical knowledge, preferences, and the prioritization of the varieties or traits preferred by the stakeholders along the crop value chain in order to carry out demand-driven varietal improvement research goals.…”