Ibadan, Nigeria
March 6, 2009
Resource-poor cowpea farmers in
sub-Saharan Africa have seen their profits jump by 55 per cent,
thanks to improved dual-purpose cowpea varieties developed and
introduced by the International
Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and its national
partners in Nigeria.
Paul Amaza, IITA Agricultural Economist, says today that farmers
who use traditional varieties earn about US$ 251 per hectare,
while those who are growing the improved cowpea with proper crop
management are getting US$390, or US$139 more, per hectare.
The improved varieties – IT89KD-288, IT89KD-391, IT97K-499-35,
and IT93K-452-1— produce high-quality grains for use as food and
fodder and are also resistant to Striga, a parasitic weed that
reduces yields in susceptible local cowpeas by as much as 80 per
cent.
Alpha Yaya Kamara, IITA's Savannah Systems Agronomist, says over
100,000 farmers in Borno and Kano states in northern Nigeria and
in the Niger Republic are currently using the improved
varieties, where their adoption rate is conservatively estimated
at 65 per cent.
He explains that farmers in the savannah region view cowpea as
both food and cash crop. “Therefore, when the varieties were
introduced, farmers took to them quickly since they serve both
ends well. "Those who cultivate it are basically better off than
those who do not", Kamara adds.
The improved cowpea varieties were developed and deployed in
partnership with the Borno State Agricultural Development
Project, Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development
Authority, Kaduna State Agricultural Development Project, the
Institute of Agricultural Research - Zaria and the University of
Maiduguri.
Other local development partners are also promoting the improved
varieties by organizing farmers' field days, exchange visits,
training and farmer-to-farmer diffusion.
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a grain legume grown mainly in the
savanna regions of the tropics and subtropics in Africa, Asia,
and South America.
The grain contains about 25 per cent protein, making it
extremely valuable to those who cannot afford animal-derived
protein foods such as meat and fish.
It is tolerant to drought, fixes atmospheric nitrogen and
improves poor soils.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, about 7.56
million tons of cowpea are produced worldwide annually, with
sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 70% or about 5.3 million tons.
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and
people's lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our
partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning
research for development (R4D) is based on focused,
authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of
sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond
to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and
productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an
international non-profit R4D organization established in 1967,
governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the
CGIAR. |
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