How do small farmers actually decide which seeds to buy?

From the research I've done in this space, peer recommendations from neighboring farmers are usually the #1 driver — smallholders trust someone who farmed the same soil over any brand rep. Price matters a lot too, but it's often filtered through what a trusted neighbor already validated. If you're mapping the journey, I'd focus on those 'anchor farmers' in each village — they're basically the informal distribution point for purchase decisions.