Second, understanding farmers' variety–trait preferences also informs
decision makers about the variety attributes that have to be considered
for on-farm conservation. For instance, more experienced farmers and
small farm holders with smaller livestock assets are affected the most
when they have to forego teff and/or sorghum varieties with better yield
stability and environmental adaptability. They are, therefore, less likely to
cooperate with on-farm conservation activities that deny them varieties
with these attributes unless they get equivalent compensation. The
results also suggest that as farmers' economic well-being improves,
reflected by the level of their incomes and assets, farmers' preferences for
crop variety traits shift from environmental adaptability and yield
stability, and thus favoring the conservation of productive and marketable
varieties. This can run counter to crop varieties that are more
environmentally adaptable and stable. At a national level, this result
suggests that as the country's agriculture develops, there will have to be a
conservation policy shift in favor of those varieties that have been out of
farmers' choice in the course of agricultural development.9