Asian Journal of Research and Review in Agriculture

Early-maturing, disease-resistant, drought-tolerant and high-yielding common bean varieties are important for improving production and productivity under smallholder conditions. This pre-extension demonstration was conducted at Boricha District, Sidama National Regional State, to promote the newly released Qey Bure common bean variety with its full production package, assess farmers' preferences and estimate its economic advantage compared with the standard check, Gegebe. Ten farmers were selected based on willingness, land availability and accessibility, in collaboration with kebele development agents. Training was provided for participating farmers, development agents, woreda extension personnel and other stakeholders to establish a shared understanding of the demonstration activity, agronomic practices and package implementation procedures. Each farmer hosted two 200 m2 plots for Qey Bure and Gegebe, with the same seed rate, fertiliser application and management practices. Land preparation, planting, follow-up, monitoring, evaluation, field visits and field days were conducted jointly with farmers and extension actors. Agronomic and yield-related data, including maturity, disease resistance, drought tolerance and yield, were collected through direct measurement and observation. Farmers' preference data were gathered using predetermined criteria, and the data were analysed using means, percentages, preference score ranking and partial budget analysis. Qey Bure produced a mean yield of 22.5 qt/ha, compared with 15.55 qt/ha for Gegebe, representing a 30.88% yield advantage. Farmers preferred Qey Bure for grain yield, pods per plant, drought tolerance and disease resistance, whereas Gegebe was preferred for early maturity. The partial budget analysis showed a net benefit of 150,080 ETB/ha from Qey Bure. The findings indicate that Qey Bure has practical potential for wider popularisation in the study area.