Prevalence and drivers of seed and pollen-mediated geneflow in sorghum: implications for biosafety regulations and policy in Kenya

Abstract

This paper uses a random sample of 881 farmers drawn from eastern and western Kenya to examine the prevalence and drivers of seed and pollen mediated geneflow in the two major sorghum growing regions. It employs both qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess farmers’ awareness of wild sorghum varieties, the practices they use in maintaining varietal purity and the conditioners of their success in maintaining the purity of cultivated varieties. The study finds that, among others, cultural differences, agro-climate and poverty affect the awareness, practices used in maintaining varietal purity and farmers’ success in doing so. These findings have implication for biosafety and policy in Kenya due to the clamour to introduce genetically modified bio-fortified sorghum varieties in Africa.