Economic impact of improved bean varieties in Central America and USA: measurable outputs and impact pathways

The objective of this study is to estimate the economic impact of investments made by the former Legume Innovation Lab program, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and other organizations and universities on bean breeding. The evaluation focuses on the USA (i.e., Michigan), Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti. We rely on a combination of secondary data and expert opinion data (mostly), primary (farmer-level) data from two countries, and field trials data from two countries to estimate yields farmers obtain under their conditions. This information will be used to estimate the ‘k-factor’ (or the productivity gains). The quantitative analysis will be supplemented by qualitative assessment of who benefits and how (including traits that may not be captured in yield—e.g., agronomic traits, nutrition, shorter duration, etc.) from the dissemination and adoption of improved bean varieties. This document presents a powerpoint with progress made to mid 2022.