Journal of Global Agriculture and Ecology

Common bean is the second widely produced legume after faba bean in Ethiopia, contributing substantially to food security and income generation for farmers. However, its productivity remains low due to disease prevalence, limited access to improved varieties, and weak technology dissemination. This study aimed to; demonstrate the improved common bean variety “Key Wolaita,” assess farmer’s preferences, and determine its on-farm yield performance. The study was conducted in Wondo Genet woreda,the site purposively selected based on a prior needs assessment, Harmufo kebele and Ten host farmers were randomly selected for the demonstration. Before implementation, training was provided to farmer’s and development agents. The improved variety “and the standard check were demonstrated on each farmer’s field. Field visits and field days were organized to evaluation and promote the technology. Data on farmer’s preferences were collected through individual interview, while grain yield data were collected from randomly selected sample plots. Preference data were analyzed using pairwise comparison of scores, and yield data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that the improved variety got a higher preference score (0.60) than standard check (0.40). Similarly, the mean grain yield of the improved variety (33.16 qt ha⁻¹) exceeded that of the standard check (25.83 qt ha⁻¹). These results indicate that the improved variety is both preferred by farmer’s and superior in yield performance under farmer’s conditions, this points strong potential for adoption and for reducing existing yield gaps. Thus, scaling up the variety and improving seed access are recommended to enhance its wider dissemination.