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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Mayaguez, Puerto Rico » Tropical Crops and Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #209520
Title: Cost benefit analysis of the introduction of heat tolerant bean varieties in Atlántida, Honduras.

Author
item Porch, Timothy - Tim
item BERNSTEN, RICHARD - MICHIGAN STATE UNIV.
item ROSAS, JUAN - ESCUELA AGRI PANAMERICANA
item JAHN, MOLLY - UNIV. OF WISCONSIN

Submitted to: Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/20/2007
Publication Date: 3/30/2007
Citation: Porch, T.G., Bernsten, R., Rosas, J.C., Jahn, M. 2007. Cost benefit analysis of the introduction of heat tolerant bean varieties in Atlántida, Honduras.. Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Report. 50:199-200.

Interpretive Summary: Climatic change could affect common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production in both temperate and tropical zones of the world. Common beans are sensitive to high temperatures and under heat stress, bean yield and quality decrease significantly. Farmers in Atlántida, Honduras avoid climatic constraints to common bean production by planting at different altitudes during different seasons. In this study, farmers in ten villages in Atlántida, five at a lower altitude and five at a higher altitude, were interviewed. A cost benefit analysis was conducted to determine if the development of a new heat tolerant bean variety would be worth the economic investment. It was determined that the rate of return for the investment in a heat tolerant variety in Atlántida, discounting plant breeding costs, was between 28 and 38%. These results indicate that investing in plant breeding and the development of stress tolerant varieties is a good economic investment that can provide important returns to the farmer and the economy in general.

Technical Abstract: Rising ambient air temperatures, migration, and deforestation threaten the sustainability of hillside common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) farming in Atlántida, Honduras. Farmers avoid climatic constraints to common bean production by planting at different altitudes during different seasons. In this study, farmers in ten villages in Atlántida, five at a lower altitude and five at a higher altitude, were interviewed. A cost benefit analysis was conducted to determine if the development and introduction of heat tolerant bean varieties could help to alleviate heat-related constraints on bean production. It was determined that with the introduction of a heat-tolerant variety in 2010, 3,244 to 3,338 additional metric tons of beans could be produced between 2011 and 2020 in Atlántida, with an estimated net present value between $388,000 and $720,000 USD depending on the opportunity cost assumptions. The rate of return for the investment in a heat tolerant variety in Atlántida, discounting plant breeding costs, was therefore between 28 and 38%.