Farmers’ preferences and needs are crucial in improving the development of rice varieties to increase rice production and improve food security. However, research on farmers’ preferences for crop attributes is scarce in Africa. This study contributes to bridging this gap by focusing on farmers’ preferences for rice variety attributes based on a nationwide survey conducted in Sierra Leone. Results from a Best-Worst Scaling analysis revealed that potential yield, maturity, pest and disease resistance, and seed longevity, were the most preferred attributes of a rice variety. The least preferred attributes were ease of threshing, fertiliser response, and shattering. After applying a latent class model, farmers were found to align with six distinct classes: “majority farmers”, “price sensitive”, “conservationists”, “sustainable farmers”, “output maximisers”, and “subsistence”. These classes showed differences in terms of the farmers’ characteristics (e.g. sex, education, income, farm farming experience, and farmland size) and in the importance given to extrinsic factors (e.g. access to market, extension services, and membership in farmers’ organisations). Among these classes, the “majority farmers” were more likely to have relatively more farmland, easier access to other farm resources (e.g., chemical fertilisers and market information) and are more likely to prefer potential yield. The “price sensitive” class placed high importance on seed price and consisted of farmers who were low income, and had better access to extension services and membership to farming organisations. Furthermore, preferences were distinct for “conservationists” who have environmental and sustenance concerns.

中文翻译：

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塞拉利昂农民对水稻品种属性的偏好

农民的偏好和需求对于改进水稻品种的开发以增加水稻产量和改善粮食安全至关重要。然而，在非洲，关于农民对作物属性偏好的研究很少。本研究基于在塞拉利昂进行的全国性调查，通过关注农民对水稻品种属性的偏好，有助于弥合这一差距。Best-Worst Scaling 分析的结果表明，潜在的产量、成熟度、抗病虫害和种子寿命是水稻品种最受青睐的属性。最不受欢迎的属性是易于脱粒、肥料反应和粉碎。在应用潜在阶级模型后，发现农民与六个不同的阶级保持一致：“多数农民”、“价格敏感”、“保护主义者”、“可持续农民”、“产出最大化”和“生存”。这些等级在农民特征（如性别、教育、收入、农场耕作经验和耕地面积）和外在因素（如市场准入、推广服务和农民组织成员身份）的重要性方面表现出差异。 ）。在这些阶层中，“多数农民”更有可能拥有相对更多的耕地，更容易获得其他农业资源（如化肥和市场信息），更可能更喜欢潜在产量。“价格敏感”阶层高度重视种子价格，由低收入、更容易获得推广服务和农业组织成员资格的农民组成。此外，