Poor farmers in marginal areas have benefited little from high yielding, "green revolution" varieties that have transformed the productivity of more favourable areas. In the states of northeastern India, farmers who cultivate upland rice on low-fertility, sloping soils continue to grow low yielding landraces that are susceptible to diseases and pests. More efficient plant breeding that is highly client oriented provided a rapid, cost effective solution to these problems by developing new upland rice varieties superior to the landraces.