This paper assesses the impact of modern varieties adoption on farmers’ welfare and crop
biodiversity conserved in-situ. Using nationally representative data collected in 2009/2010 in
Uganda, an endogenous switching regression model estimates the net economic and
environmental effects of switching from local landraces to modern species. Results show that,
after controlling for market and agro-ecological factors, the local varieties perform better than
modern ones in marginalized and climatic vulnerable areas. Crop biodiversity shows to play a
fundamental role in farmers’ risk minimizing strategies when the available modern varieties
are not adaptable to the local context and not supported by the required level of agrointensification.
Rural development policies should consider the heterogeneity in the adoption
returns and support diversity conservation as a national strategic asset for a suitable
bioprospecting and a best-fitting agricultural system implementation