The fourth policy implication is in the area of breeding priority
setting. Given that farmers' variety–attribute preferences determine
both their propensity to use improved varieties and the chance of using
them successfully, breeding should satisfy the demands of different farm
household types classified according to resource endowments, preferences,
and constraints. To this end, analyzing farmers' variety–attribute
preferences will help target farmer demands in the making of a
technology. For instance, this study has found that farmers attach the
highest private value to the environmental adaptability trait, followed
by the yield stability attribute of both sorghum and teff. The national
institution primarily dealing with crop breeding programs in Ethiopia,
namely the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and other
donor and collaborative institutions should therefore prioritize these
attributes in their direct or supportive breeding programs if they are to
address the demands of Ethiopian smallholders.