Volume 24, Issue 3, October 2018, Pages 968–977
Gonné Sobda1, Augustin Mewounko2, Pierre Derik Sakati3, and Kodeme Ndaodeme4
1 Department of Plants genetic and biotechnology, Agriculture Research for Development Institute (IRAD), P.O. Box 33 Maroua, Cameroon
2 Department of Annual Crops, Multi-Purpose Agricultural Research Station, P.O. Box 203 Bertoua, East Region, Cameroon
3 Department of Annual Crops, Regional Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 33 Maroua, Far North Region, Cameroon
4 Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and By-Products, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 46 Maroua, Far North Region, Cameroon
Original language: English
Copyright © 2018 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cowpea (Vigna unguicilata Walp) is a multi-purpose crop grown in the sub-Saharan regions of Africa for its grains and leaves which contribute to food security. Despite the high yield potential of cowpea and its ability to withstand poor conditions, yield at farmers’ level is still low. Past works led to release of several improved varieties. However some of them fell or recorded low rate of adoption because farmers’ needs were not involved in the process of varietal development. The present study untaken in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon aim to: determine cowpea production constraints according to farmers’ perception, determine farmers’ strategies of insect pests control and determine farmers’ preferred cowpea traits. A survey was conducted in four villages: Sanguéré, Souccoundou, Gazawa and Koza. Questionnaires were administered to 150 farmers’ followed by a focus group discussion with groups of 10 to 15 participants. Data collected were analyzed on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Frequency distributions were estimated and pair-wise ranking method was performed. Farmers ranked insect pests as the most important cowpea production constraint followed by the lack of improved varieties, drought and Striga. Cowpea flower bud thrips was reported as the most damaging, followed by the flower beetles, maruca, aphids and pod-sucking bugs. Farmers’ most preferred traits were high grain yield, tolerance/resistance to insect, large seed size, white seed coat and fast cooking suggesting that research programs should consider these traits when developing improved cowpea varieties for the benefit of farmers.
Author Keywords: Farmers’ Perception, Participatory Rural Appraisal, Insect Pests, Traits.
Gonné Sobda1, Augustin Mewounko2, Pierre Derik Sakati3, and Kodeme Ndaodeme4
1 Department of Plants genetic and biotechnology, Agriculture Research for Development Institute (IRAD), P.O. Box 33 Maroua, Cameroon
2 Department of Annual Crops, Multi-Purpose Agricultural Research Station, P.O. Box 203 Bertoua, East Region, Cameroon
3 Department of Annual Crops, Regional Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 33 Maroua, Far North Region, Cameroon
4 Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and By-Products, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 46 Maroua, Far North Region, Cameroon
Original language: English
Copyright © 2018 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Cowpea (Vigna unguicilata Walp) is a multi-purpose crop grown in the sub-Saharan regions of Africa for its grains and leaves which contribute to food security. Despite the high yield potential of cowpea and its ability to withstand poor conditions, yield at farmers’ level is still low. Past works led to release of several improved varieties. However some of them fell or recorded low rate of adoption because farmers’ needs were not involved in the process of varietal development. The present study untaken in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Cameroon aim to: determine cowpea production constraints according to farmers’ perception, determine farmers’ strategies of insect pests control and determine farmers’ preferred cowpea traits. A survey was conducted in four villages: Sanguéré, Souccoundou, Gazawa and Koza. Questionnaires were administered to 150 farmers’ followed by a focus group discussion with groups of 10 to 15 participants. Data collected were analyzed on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Frequency distributions were estimated and pair-wise ranking method was performed. Farmers ranked insect pests as the most important cowpea production constraint followed by the lack of improved varieties, drought and Striga. Cowpea flower bud thrips was reported as the most damaging, followed by the flower beetles, maruca, aphids and pod-sucking bugs. Farmers’ most preferred traits were high grain yield, tolerance/resistance to insect, large seed size, white seed coat and fast cooking suggesting that research programs should consider these traits when developing improved cowpea varieties for the benefit of farmers.
Author Keywords: Farmers’ Perception, Participatory Rural Appraisal, Insect Pests, Traits.
How to Cite this Article
Gonné Sobda, Augustin Mewounko, Pierre Derik Sakati, and Kodeme Ndaodeme, “Farmers’ cowpea production constraints and varietal preferences in the sudano-sahelian zone of Cameroon,” International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 968–977, October 2018.
