Total demand for improved sorghum varieties.

Sorghum is one of the critical food security crops, particularly in moisture-stressed areas of Ethiopia. However, in the absence of a well-organized formal seed system, public research institutions have continued to promote and disseminate improved sorghum varieties to encourage adoption. On the other hand, the lack of evidence on smallholder farmers’ demand for improved varieties has discouraged the seed industry from investing in marginalized crops, like sorghum, in contrast to more commercialized crops such as wheat and maize. This study assessed producers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for improved sorghum varieties suitable for moisture-stressed sorghum growing agro-ecologies. Data were collected from 659 households selected using probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics, heterogeneity analysis and generalized ordered probit econometric model were employed for data analysis. Farmers’ WTP was, on average, 59% higher than the market price set by the government. In the Amhara and Oromia regions, WTP was 67% and 47% above the official price, respectively. WTP varied significantly by age, farm size, income source, and gender. The inelastic nature of WTP and the observed gender gap—where only 40% of female-headed households exhibited WTP at the market price compared to 60% of male-headed households—highlight the need for gender-responsive, non-price interventions such as targeted subsidies, smaller input packages, and inclusive extension services to promote equitable access and uptake of improved sorghum varieties.高粱（Sorghum）是保障粮食安全的关键作物之一，在埃塞俄比亚的水分胁迫种植区域尤为重要。然而，由于尚未建立组织完善的正规种子体系，公共研究机构仍在持续推广分发改良高粱品种，以推动农户采纳。另一方面，由于缺乏关于小农对改良品种需求的实证证据，种子行业不愿在高粱这类弱势作物上投入资源，转而优先布局小麦、玉米等商业化程度更高的作物。本研究针对适配水分胁迫型高粱种植农业生态区的改良高粱品种，评估了农户的支付意愿（Willingness to Pay, WTP）。研究采用概率与规模成比例（PPS）抽样方法，共选取659户农户开展数据采集。数据分析环节运用了描述性统计、异质性分析以及广义有序概率单位计量模型。农户的平均支付意愿较政府制定的市场价格高出59%。在安哈拉州与奥罗米亚州，农户的支付意愿分别较官方定价高出67%与47%。支付意愿随农户年龄、耕地规模、收入来源以及性别存在显著差异。支付意愿缺乏弹性的特征，以及观测到的性别差距——仅40%的女性当家农户在市场定价下表现出支付意愿，而男性当家农户的这一比例为60%——凸显了推出兼顾性别平等的非价格干预措施的必要性，例如定向补贴、小型投入包以及包容性农业推广服务，以此推动改良高粱品种的公平获取与广泛采纳。