It is critical to know which varieties are being adopted and why, both to show the value of investment in breeding and seed systems, but also to learn what farmers and consumers want and to improve breeding programs for broader impact. A team of CGIAR Research Program on Roots, Tubers and Bananas (RTB) scientists led by Graham Thiele completed a review of adoption studies to update findings and try to provide some answers.  This review zoomed in on the adoption of new varieties in some key countries: bananas in Uganda, cassava in Nigeria, potato in Kenya, sweetpotato in Uganda and yams in Côte d’Ivoire.

The review found that adoption of modern varieties (MVs) of roots tubers and bananas in sub-Saharan Africa hits a ceiling at about 40% of cropped area. Insufficient priority given to consumer‐preferred traits by breeding programmes contributes to the limited uptake of MVs. The review draws implications  for breeding programs, seed system interventions and the design of future varietal adoption surveys to provide better feedback to set priorities for breeding. More evidence needs to be collected on gender differences in consumer preferences for quality and post‐harvest traits. The informal system sometimes contributes to rapid uptake of MVs, but often is a barrier with inconsistent varietal naming a major challenge.