The government of Togo has introduced two varieties of cowpeas that is Striga-resistant in bid to improve the nation’s cowpea output for the 2021-2022 season.
Provided by the Togolese Institute for Agricultural Research (ITRA), the newly-introduced varieties are the Nafi Sam and Wang-Kai varieties. With a cycle of 80 days, these varieties mature earlier than the old ones.
The Ministry of Agriculture said cowpea is a popular staple food in the country; its leaves, green pods, and dry seeds are eaten and sold throughout the territory. Togo produced 383,664 t of cowpea in the 2020-2021 season, according to the Directorate of Agricultural Statistics, Information Technology, and Documentation (DSID).
Reducing malnutrition
Cowpea is seen as being increasingly important in reducing malnutrition, and a recent four-year study by Miriam Otoo at the Agricultural Economics Department at Purdue University showed that there is significant value addition when cowpea is made into the deep-fried cakes known as akara and sold by women as street food in Niger and Ghana. Cowpeas could also prove a solution for farmers adapting to climate change because of its resilience in dry, hot conditions.
But according to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), pests – particularly the Maruca vitrata pod borer – currently cause losses of up to US$300 million for smallholder farmers in Africa.
