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 IITA and its national partners in Nigeria. Paul Amaza, IITA Agricultural Economist, says that farmers who use traditional varieties earn about US$ 251 per hectare, while those who are growing the improved cowpea are getting US$390, or US$139 more, per hectare with proper crop management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/em>, a parasitic weed that reduces yields of susceptible local cowpeas by as much as 80 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ni\u00e9b\u00e9 (Vigna unguiculata<\/em>) is a grain legume grown mainly in the savanna regions of the tropics and subtropics in Africa, Asia, and South America. Its 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the FAO, about 7.56 million tons of cowpea are produced worldwide annually, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 70% or about 5.3 million tons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ###<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter :<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Paul Amaza, p.amaza@cgiar.org<\/a> Dr Alpha Yaya Kamara, a.kamara@cgiar.org<\/a> Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org<\/a> Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org<\/a> IITA \u2013 Si\u00e8ge See also: Other IITA cereals and legumes projects: Related websites: \u00c0 propos de l'IITA<\/b> 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 IITA and its national partners in Nigeria. Paul Amaza, IITA Agricultural Economist, says that farmers who use traditional varieties earn about US$ 251 per hectare, while those who are growing the improved cowpea are getting US$390, or US$139 more, per hectare with proper crop management.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":12953,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[32],"news-type":[],"hub":[],"crop":[67],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[187],"class_list":["post-12952","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-nigeria","crop-cowpea","item-year-187"],"yoast_head":"\n
\u00c9conomiste agricole<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agronome des syst\u00e8mes de savane<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charg\u00e9 de communication d'entreprise (international)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charg\u00e9 de la communication d'entreprise (Afrique de l'Ouest)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ibadan, Nig\u00e9ria<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cowpea overview
Cereals and legumes systems<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Development and Promotion of Alectra<\/em> Resistant Cowpea cultivars
Improving tropical legume productivity for marginal environments in sub-Saharan Africa
Tropical Legume II<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ni\u00e9b\u00e9<\/a> in Wikipedia
Ni\u00e9b\u00e9<\/a> in Alternative Field Crops Manual, Purdue University<\/p>\n\n\n\n
L'Afrique a des probl\u00e8mes complexes qui minent l'agriculture et la vie des populations. Nous d\u00e9veloppons des solutions agricoles avec nos partenaires pour lutter contre la faim et la pauvret\u00e9. Notre [mot manquant ou \u00ab prim\u00e9 \u00bb] recherche pour le d\u00e9veloppement<\/a> repose sur une r\u00e9flexion cibl\u00e9e et faisant autorit\u00e9, ancr\u00e9e dans les besoins de d\u00e9veloppement de l'Afrique subsaharienne. Nous collaborons avec des partenaires en Afrique et au-del\u00e0 afin de r\u00e9duire les risques pour les producteurs et les consommateurs, d\u2019am\u00e9liorer la qualit\u00e9 et la productivit\u00e9 des cultures, et de g\u00e9n\u00e9rer de la richesse gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l\u2019agriculture. L\u2019IITA est une organisation internationale \u00e0 but non lucratif d\u00e9di\u00e9e \u00e0 la recherche et au d\u00e9veloppement (R4D), cr\u00e9\u00e9e en 1967, dirig\u00e9e par un conseil d\u2019administration et soutenue principalement par le CGIAR<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"