Participatory Variety Selection of Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.) and Tools to Understand Farmer’s Selection Criteria in Major Field Pea Producing Areas of South Eastern Arsi Zone of Ethiopia

Field pea is one of the grain food legumes contributing an enormous amount of protein to the human diet in Arsi zone. It is a long time ago that fi eld pea crop improvement started in which more than 16 new varieties released those are selected primarily for yield potential, but there is a trait left considered as a very import by majority of farmers. The current study intended to identify traits that farmers consider most important when deciding which varieties to grow. The study was conducted at south eastern Arsi of Ethiopia, representing fi ve major fi eld pea producing location, in one growing season, using a participatory variety selection approach. A total of nine improved and one local check fi eld pea varieties are used. Majority of farmers’ were found around fourteen traits that can infl uence the selected varieties across all locations. There are also some traits those are more sensitive to gender diff erence. Among fourteen traits, nine were considered particularly important in one or all the location in a growing season. Unfortunately, there are preferred traits that are not given high priority by the current fi eld pea breeding program in Ethiopian. This study indicated that there is no fi eld pea variety possesses all desirable characteristics that meet the diverse farmers’ selection criteria that adapted to varied location and a growing season. It is better if farmers’ preference traits would be considered in breeding program for a country Ethiopia where the crop is consumed as a stable food.