The findings, differentiated by regional preferences for varieties,
also revealed that farmers in Chiapas, who adopted hybrid
varieties, where these varieties are generally preferred,
also had much higher per capita expenditures and lower poverty
rates than their counterparts who did not adopt these
varieties. Similarly, households in Oaxaca who planted creolized
varieties were found to have higher per capita expenditure
and lower probability of falling below the poverty line. Estimates
across land ownership categories also indicate that
adoption of improved varieties exerts positive and significant
impacts on the welfare of both small and large farmers, with
small farmers appearing to be benefitting more than large
farmers. Moreover, for both regions, the impact of the adoption
of improved germplasm on reducing poverty appears to
be greater for small farmers than large farmers indicating that
targeting new technologies toward small farmers can have farreaching
welfare implications.