2025/02/10 by Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy, L Fall, Abdou, B Diop, Omar +5
#Bioaggressors #Bioagresseurs #Commercial chain #Durabilité #Farmer perceptions #Filière commerciale #Logiques socio-économiques #Perceptions de l'agriculteur #Politiques publiques #Public policies #Sahel #Socio-economic logic #Sustainability #Varieties #Variétés
paper · doi:10.17180/ciag-2025-vol99-art16
As a legume, cowpea could play a key role in the transition towards more sustainable agricultural systems in West Africa. However, a better understanding of current systems is necessary to justify interventions in favor of this crop. Based on surveys conducted in two contrasting pedoclimatic zones of Senegal, we showed that in the Sahelian zone (ZS) where water stress is strongest, cowpea is a cash crop benefiting from public support for the use of synthetic inputs and improved cowpea varieties. In contrast, in the Sudan-Sahelian zone (ZSS) where water stress is less strong, cowpea is a minor crop grown at low density in intercropping with millet, with little or no inputs and oriented mainly towards household and animal consumption. In both zones, cowpea adoption is favored by the availability of plots located far from the house. In ZSS, it is also favored by a large agricultural area and a lack of labor at the farm level. In ZS, farmers attach less importance than in ZSS to the potential positive effects of cowpea on associated crops. Several varieties are found on the same farm with a view to resilience to climate risks and the reconciliation of several objectives. The recent expansion of cowpea areas in ZS has led to decreased biodiversity and increased pest problems. Our findings highlight the need for a variety of recommendations to accommodate the diverse contexts and goals of cowpea farmers. To promote the long-term sustainability of the cowpea sector, actions that support the maintenance of the diversity of cultivated species and cowpea varieties in agrosystems should be considered with as much interest as actions focused on the commercial sector and cowpea income.