Karikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 CABI Agriculture https://doi.org/10.1186/s43170-023-00159-1 and Bioscience RESEARCH Open Access Cowpea cropping systems, traits preference and production constraints in the upper west region of Ghana: farmers’ consultation and implications for breeding Benjamin Karikari1* , Margaret Delle Maale2, Ebenezer Anning2, Daniel Brain Akakpo3, Afishata Mohammed Abujaja2 and Isaac Kwahene Addai4 Abstract Background Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is used primarily as food for humans and feed for animals. It is also used for soil management within a cropping system. However, cowpea production is confronted with numerous challenges. As such farmers and consumers alike have certain preferences in terms of production and utilization. This present study investigated cowpea cropping systems, traits preference and production constraints among farmers in the Nandom, Lambusie and Lawra districts in the northern part of the Upper West Region of Ghana. A total of 306 farming households were sampled from the 3 chosen districts. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data col- lection. The IBM SPSS software, version 22, was employed to analyze the data using descriptive statistics, specifically frequencies, percentages and crosstabulations. Results The study’s results indicated that a majority (58.5%) of the cowpea farmers practice intercropping, whereas a minority (41.5%) practice sole cropping. The farmers intercropped cowpea with maize, millet, sorghum and yam. Farmers preferred cowpea varieties with the following traits: high yield, drought tolerance, early maturing, pest resist- ance, improve soil fertility, high price, high demand, better taste, less cooking time, storage quality, palatability and fast growing. Farmers indicated that susceptibility to storage pests, high pest incidence, late maturity, difficulty in harvesting, high input cost, small grain size, low yield, high disease incidence, poor colour, lack of improved variety, and drought are some constraints that hinder cowpea production. Conclusion Results indicate a need for behavioural change communication to assist cowpea farmers to adopt improved and appropriate cropping systems. Farmers should be involved in cowpea technology development in order to understand their preferences and constraints to enable subsequent adoption of such technologies. The results from this study call for an interdisciplinary committee to plan and breed cowpea varieties that meet the needs of the farmers. Keywords Cowpea breeding, Early maturing, Food security, Northern Ghana, Sustainable agriculture, Less cooking time *Correspondence: Benjamin Karikari bkarikari@uds.edu.gh Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://c reat iveco mmons.o rg/l icen ses/ by/4. 0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creati veco mmons. org/ public domai n/ zero/1.0 /) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Karikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 2 of 11 Background diseases, lack of mechanized equipment suitable for har- Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is a versatile crop vesting, and other trait-related challenges (longer cook- used as food for humans, feed for farm animals and as a ing time (Addy et al. 2020), and several others reported soil fertility improvement/maintenance crop (in inter- in similar studies (Bolarinwa et al. 2022; Gonçalves et al. crop with cereals) is widely cultivated in Africa, Asia 2016; Horn and Shimelis 2020; Mohammed et  al. 2021; and America (Osipitan et al. 2021). The crop is believed Omomowo and Babalola 2021; Osipitan et al. 2021). to have originated from Africa before 2500 BCE (Her- A study by Quaye et  al. (2011) in Ghana (Accra and niter et  al. 2020). Some studies via carbon dating in Kumasi) revealed that consumers prefer cowpea varie- Ghana suggest that cowpea cultivation started prior to or ties based on cleanliness, colour, cooking time, taste, between 2500–1500 BC (D’Andrea et  al. 2007; Herniter seed size, weevil damage, dryness. Langyintuo et  al. et al. 2020). A total production of 8 million tons with an (2004) reported that grain size, testa colour, testa texture, average yield of 1.4 tons/ha was reported in 2019 globally eye color and damage levels are key consumer traits for (Database 2021). Out of this, Africa accounts for 96.7% cowpea in Ghana and Cameroon. In order to breed for with Ghana ranking fourth to Nigeria, Niger and Bur- demand-driven cowpea varieties in Ghana, it is impera- kina Faso (Omomowo and Babalola 2021; Osipitan et al. tive to know the cropping systems, farmers production 2021). constraints and their traits preference. Knowing these The production of the crop is on the ascendency due will serve as incentives for farmers adopt improved cow- to its relative ability to withstand drought compared to pea varieties to be bred. Also, consumers will be will- other legumes such as soybean and groundnut (Cui et al. ing to pay a premium for cowpea variety produced by 2020; Matsui and Singh 2003; Ravelombola et  al. 2020). farmers that match their preferences (Langyintuo et  al. These make cowpea an important cash crop for farmers 2004). From above background, the present study was and their families around the world (Langyintuo et  al. undertaken to identify cowpea cropping systems, traits 2003). Cowpea is an excellent source of protein, fiber preference and production constraints among farmers in and micronutrients such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and Upper West Region of northern Ghana to lay foundation calcium as well as rich essential amino acids (lysine and for cowpea breeding and promotion. tryptophan) and vitamins (A, B and C) (Gonçalves et al. 2016; Osipitan et al. 2021). It is also a good source of bio- Materials and methods active compounds such as flavonoids and phenolics mak- Description of study areas and sampling procedure ing it useful for its antioxidant property (Razgonova et al. The study was undertaken in the Upper West region 2022; Yadav et al. 2018). In terms of culinary uses, cow- (10.2530° N, 2.1450° W) in the northern part of Ghana pea is used in stews, soups, and curries and also ground located in Guinea Savannah belt. The region shares into flour and used to make a variety of baked goods boundaries to the north and west with Burkina Faso and (Yadav et al. 2018). Côte d’Ivoire, respectively (Fig. 1). It also shares borders In Ghana, cowpea is grown largely in dry savanna to the east with the Upper East and south with North- zones where there is unimodal rainfall pattern between ern region (Fig.  1). The region occupies approximately May and September with rainfall range of 500–1200 mm 12.7% of the total land area of Ghana. Among prominent (Atiah et al. 2021). The northern Ghana produces ≈ 85% crops produced in the region include maize, rice, sor- grain cowpea (Herniter et al. 2019), however this is inad- ghum, cotton and cowpea. The region has a single rainy equate for national demand leading an importation of season from April to September, with mean annual rain- significant quantity to balance the deficit (Quaye et  al. fall of about 115  mm, and followed by harmattan char- 2011). acterized by prolonged dry season with cold and hazy The crop is reported to be used primarily for soil man- weather from early November to March (Ghana Statisti- agement in United States (Osipitan et al. 2021). In Nige- cal Service 2013; Subaar et al. 2018). Prior to the onset of ria, the crop is used in relay cropping and mixed cropping early rainfall in April, the region experiences an intense (Mohammed et al. 2021). It is mostly intercropped with hot weather. The region has nine administrative districts cereals like maize, sorghum and pearl millet (Akpalu et al. (Fig. 1). 2014; Ewansiha et  al. 2014a; Horn and Shimelis 2020). Cowpea is cultivated in all the nine districts. Based The intercropping system reduces the use of synthetic on data obtained from agriculture extension officers in fertilizers due to the ability of cowpea to convert and fix the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Nandom appreciable amount of atmospheric nitrogen into the soil (10.8323° N, 2.8178° W), Lambusie-Karni (10.8344° N, (Mndzebele et al. 2020; Mohammed et al. 2022). On the 2.5792° W) and Lawra (10.6294° N, 2.8378° W) districts other hand, production and utilization of cowpea is con- were purposefully selected. Specifically, Brutu (10.8532° fronted with numerous challenges such as pests, weeds, N, 2.7606° W), Karni (11.0990° N, 2.6934° W) and Babile K arikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 3 of 11 Fig. 1 Map of upper west region of Ghana Source: Authors’ own construct (10.5199° N, 2.83525° W) communities were selected (Karni) and 179 (Babile) cowpea farmers households from the three districts, respectively (Fig. 1; Table 1), to were randomly selected from the list of the one thousand identify households involved in cowpea production. In and three hundred cowpea farmers households in the all, one thousand and three hundred households were three districts (Table 1). identified to produce cowpea in the three communities sampled (Brutu, Karni and Babile with 16.70, 24.70 and Data collection and statistical analysis 58.60%, respectively) (Table  1). Following the formula Data were solicited mainly from primary source with proposed by Bartlett et al. (2001) with margin of error set the help of a structured questionnaire. The question- at 5%, a total sample size of 306 households participated naire consisted of four sections. First section was socio- in this study. Based on the relative proportion of house- economic characteristics of cowpea farmers. The second holds in the three selected communities, 51 (Brutu), 76 and third sections focused on cowpea cropping systems Table 1 Number of cowpea farmers households in the selected districts and proportions selected to participate in the study Communities+ Districts Cowpea farmers Percentage (%)* Sample size households Karni (11.0990° N, 2.6934° W) Lambusie-Karni 321 24.70 76 Brutu (10.8532° N,2.7606° W) Nandom 218 16.70 51 Babile (10.5199° N; 2.83525° W) Lawra 761 58.60 179 Total 1300 100 306 + information in parenthesis represents global positioning system of the respective communities * percentage of community relative to total cowpea famers households Karikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 4 of 11 and trait preferences, respectively. The last section aimed Table 2 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents in at asking questions related to cowpea production the study constraints. Variables/responses Frequency Percent (%) The selected farmers (Table 1) were assured that infor- (n = 306) mation to be obtained will be treated with anonymity and will be used for only academic purposes. In addi- Age tion, respondents were informed of the purpose of the < 20 years 6 1.96 research. Participants were made aware that no incen- 20–29 years 41 13.40 tives will be provided to them and no harm was to be 30–39 years 71 23.20 done against them. Respondents were further encour- 40–49 years 98 32.03 aged to seek further clarification on issues they found 50–59 years 69 22.55 confusing during interviewing session. >59 years 21 6.86 With assistance of agriculture extension officers of Religion MoFA in the respective communities, the selected cow- Christian 186 60.78 pea farmers (Table 1) were interviewed in either local dia- Muslim 72 23.53 lects (Dagaare) or English and their responses recorded Traditionalist 39 12.75 in English. Data collected were coded and entered into Others 9 2.94 IBM SPSS statistical software, version 22 (IBM Corp., Sex Armonk, NY). Results obtained were summarized and Male 238 77.78 presented by descriptive statistics, i.e., frequency tables Female 68 22.22 and charts. Level of education Basic education 88 28.76 Results Secondary 89 29.08 Tertiary 61 19.93 Socio‑demographic characteristics of the cowpea farmers Out of the 306 cowpea farmers, 32% of them aged Non-formal education 68 22.22 between 40 and 49 years. This was followed by the age Marital status brackets 30–39 years and 50–59 years with 23.2% and Single 50 16.34 22.5%, respectively, and the least age group (< 20 years) Married 203 66.34 had 2% (Table 2). Divorced 13 4.25 Males dominated (77.8%) the study with females being Widow 25 8.17 the minority (22.2%). A majority of the cowpea farmers Separated 15 4.90 were found to be Christians (60.8%) and were followed Main occupation by Muslims (23.5%) (Table 2). The study also found that Crop production 120 39.22 most of the respondents had basic (28.7%) and secondary Animal rearing 46 15.03 education (29.1%), while 22.2% of the respondents had no Trading 59 19.28 formal education. In terms of marital status, a majority Formal work/government 81 26.47 (66.36%) of the respondents were married, while (16.34%) Main source of income were single (Table 2). Farming 136 44.44 Main occupation of respondents included crop pro- Trading 73 23.86 duction (30.10%), formal/government work (25.5%), trad- Government 97 31.70 ing (18.6%) and animal rearing (12.10%) (Table 2). From n represents total number of farmers interviewed these, a majority (40.02%) of the respondents earn their livelihood from farming, whereas 19.3% and 22.9% of the respondents obtain their livelihood from trading and sorghum (7 farmers) and yam (4 farmers) (Fig. 2B). These government work, respectively (Table 2). suggest that cowpea farmers in the studied districts mostly intercrop cowpea with cereals. Cowpea cropping systems among farmers in the Upper West region of Ghana Cowpea farmers’ traits preferences for production, As shown in Fig. 2A, the majority (58.5%) of farmers in consumption, fodder and market values the study area practice intercropping, whereas a minor- In order to know farmers’ trait preference for produc- ity (41.5%) practice sole cropping. From those practic- tion, consumption, fodder and market values, we fur- ing intercropping (179/306), a majority (120) of them ther asked questions on their preferences. Regarding intercrop with maize, followed by millet (48 farmers), trait preference in terms of production value, farmers K arikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 5 of 11 Fig. 2 Cowpea cropping systems A and crops intercropwith B among the cowpea farmers in the study area Source: Field survey, March 2022 preference followed high yield (67.32%) > drought tol- existing cropping system (21.24%) > disease resistance erance (52.61%) > improve soil fertility (41.18%) > early (12.75%) > high biomass (0.65%) (Table  3). Conversely, maturing variety/pest resistance (30.01%) > fit into majority of intercropping farmers preferred cowpea Table 3 Crosstabulation of cowpea cropping systems and production trait preferences Traits Cropping systems Total ( n*=306) Intercropping (n = 179) Sole cropping (n = 127) High yield 113 (54.86%) 93 (45.14%) 206 (67.32%) Drought tolerance 100 (62.11%) 61 (37.89%) 161 (52.61%) Improve soil fertility 86 (68.25%) 40 (31.75%) 126 (41.18%) Early maturing variety 49 (53.26%) 43 (46.74%) 92 (30.01%) Pest resistance 53 (57.61%) 39 (42.39%) 92 (30.01%) Fit into existing cropping system 41 (63.08%) 24 (36.92%) 65 (21.24%) Disease resistance 22 (56.41%) 17 (43.59%) 39 (12.75%) High biomass 1 (50.00%) 1 (50.00%) 2 (0.65%) Values in parenthesis represent percentage of total number of farmers practicing either cropping systems relative to the total number of farmers who preferred that trait. n represents total number of farmers practicing each cropping system, n* represents total number of farmers interviewed. Karikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 6 of 11 varieties with high yield, drought resistant, improve soil Moreso, when it comes to trait preference for fodder fertility, early maturing variety, pest resistance, fit into value, palatability is the most preferred trait for a major- existing cropping system and disease resistance com- ity (89.54%) of the farmers, followed by fast growing abil- pared to their counterpart sole cropping farmers. ity varieties (16.01%), more fodder quantity with leafy Again, in terms of consumption value, 93.13% of (6.54%) and more durable fodder (4.90%) (Fig. 3B). Also, the farmers indicated their preference for better taste trait of cowpea for its market value is of great impor- (Fig.  3A). This was followed by farmers who preferred tance to farmers and with that 76.14% prefer cowpea cowpea varieties that is cooked in less time (33.99%) and variety that fetches higher price and again, 53.59% farm- store well (20.26%). While other farmers preferred seed- ers were identified to prefer planting varieties that have related traits such as big seed size (9.48%), white/cream high demand on the market (Fig. 3C). Other farmers pre- seed colour (6.54%), small seed size (1.31%) and mottled fer cowpea varieties with big seed size (9.48%), low price seed color (0.98%) (Fig. 3A). fluctuations (6.86%), white/cream seed colour (6.54%), Fig. 3 Trait preferences among cowpea farmers in thestudy area. A For consumption value. B For fodder value. C For marketvalue Source: Field survey, March 2022 K arikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 7 of 11 small seed size (1.31%) and mottled seed colour (0.98%) It was observed that males predominantly engaged in (Fig. 3C). cowpea farming in the study area (Table 2). This finding is similar to Akpalu et al. (2014) who found that females’ Cowpea production constraints among farmers involvement in cowpea farming in Ghana is generally low. in the Upper West region of Ghana Women mostly in some African countries are engaged Production of cowpea like other crops experience a num- in carrying out other activities within the cowpea value ber of biotic and abiotic stresses (Addae-Frimpomaah chain while their male counterparts are engaged in the et al. 2022; Banla et al. 2018; Baoua et al. 2021; John and main farming activities (Iya and Kwaghe 2007). Accord- Fielding 2014; Lobulu et  al. 2019; Osipitan et  al. 2021), ing to (Rahman 2008) and (Akpalu et  al. 2014) women therefore this section sought to identify cowpea produc- are rather engaged in post-harvest operations like thresh- tion constraints in the study areas. It was observed that a ing and winnowing. In places where culture and social majority (64.71%) of the farmers indicated susceptibility norms influence the behaviour of people, women are not of cowpea to storage pest as the major constraint (Fig. 4). mainly involved in physical farm operations (Rahman This was followed by high pest incidence (50.98%), late 2008). However, this finding is in contrast with (Nkon- maturity or long duration (33.66%), difficulty in harvest- golo et  al. 2009), who found that women are the main ing (29.08%), high input cost (20.26%), small size grains farmers of cowpea. The results on farmers’ level of edu- (10.13%), low yield (9.8%), high disease incidence (5.56%) cation show that those having tertiary education are the and poor colour of cowpea (4.25%). Other constraints least (19.93%) (Table  2). As suggested by Reimers and encountered by cowpea farmers include inadequate Klasen (2013) farmers who are advanced in education are access to improved variety/drought challenges (3.59%), able to combine different resources in their possible way poor seed quality (1.96%), poor seed germination (0.98%), and make efficient use of them towards production and low pod filling, poor fodder quality (0.65%) and poor productivity. In terms of technology, well-educated farm- taste/low recovery or shelling percentage (0.33%) (Fig. 4). ers are fast in adopting the best ones to boost production and attain more returns (Adetonah et al. 2016; Asadullah Discussion and Rahman 2009). To increase cowpea production and utilization in Ghana, Intercropping is a popular farming system among the present study was undertaken to identify cowpea farmers globally ((Ewansiha et al. 2014b; Horn et al. 2015; cropping systems, traits preferences and production con- Olufajo and Singh 2002; Singh and Ajeigbe 2007) and in straints in one of the leading producing regions in Ghana. Ghana (Akpalu et al. 2014). In the study area, a majority Susceptible to storage pest High pest incidence Late maturity/long duration Difficulty in harvesting High input cost Small grain size Low yield High disease incidence Poor colour Drought Inadequate access to improved variety Poor seed quality Poor seed germination Poor fodder quality Low pod filling Low recovery/shelling% Poor taste 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Number of farmers (%) Fig. 4 Production constraints encountered by cowpea farmers in study area Source: Field Survey March, 2022 Karikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 8 of 11 (58%) of the farmers practice intercropping (Fig.  2A). stomatal conductance, transpired water, osmotic adapta- Cowpea is intercropped with other crops such as maize, tions, and transpiration efficiency are related to drought millet, sorghum, and yam (Fig. 2B). Farmers in the study tolerance (Clavel et al. 2005; Puangbut et al. 2009). area usually intercrop cereals, especially maize and cow- Early maturity is another trait cowpea farmers prefer pea. However, intercropping cowpea with yam is not (Table 3). Given the short duration of rains in the study common in the region. In this cropping system, maize area, it is apropos for farmers to cultivate varieties that is cultivated first followed by the legume because of its are early maturing in order to escape the prolonged shorter production period compared to maize (Sagar drought spell and its implications on pests and diseases et  al. 2020). The region is not known for yam produc- incidence, crop growth, development and yield (Martey tion and the crop is only grown in a couple of settlers’ et  al. 2022). Almost all the farmers prefer cowpea vari- communities (https:// mofa. gov. gh/ site/ sports/ distr ict- eties with better taste and takes less cooking time when direc torat es/ upper- west- region/ 285- lambu ssie- karni, considering consumption value (Fig.  3A). The cowpea accessed on 12/05/2023). Also, the tillage method for grains are used to prepare different meals in the Ghana- growing yam is mounding which does not favour inter- ian society, such as ‘koose’, ‘tubani’, ‘tuozaafi’, while others cropping. This may inhibit the easy farm operation such freshly cooked cowpea pods serve as a delicacy in most as weed and pest control, fertilizer application and har- households prior to main field crop harvest. The dry vesting of the intercropped crop. Furthermore, almost grain of the white cowpea variety is found to have less all households in the study area produce maize and keep cooking time as compared to the brown coloured varie- livestock. Because of the crop-livestock integrated sys- ties (Asfaw et al. 2011). The white cowpea variety accord- tem most farmers intercrop maize with cowpea for both ing to the farmers can be stored for a longer period, and food and fodder (Akakpo 2020). As indicated by Kyei- still possess the preferred characteristics. Farmers pre- Boahen et al. (2017) farmers use intercropping because a ferred cowpea varieties that are in demand and fetches minimum to no amount of fertilizers would be required higher price (Fig. 3C). Farmers have the perception that since cowpea is a source of nitrogen supplement. It could the white variety of cowpea looks healthy and attractive also be that farmers are unwilling to farm separately as a to consumers. This makes the variety to be preferred by result of the high cost of farming. Aside that, 42% of the majority of the people thereby increasing the demand respondents cited of practicing sole cropping (Fig.  2A). and price of the variety. Harvested grains are processed Other scholars have argued that sole cropping of cowpea and sold both locally and regionally. A larger proportion has lots of advantages over intercropping like increased of cowpea produced in Africa and its environs are sold crop yield, suppressing weed growth and harvesting in the local markets (Beshir et al. 2019; Timko and Singh (Ewansiha et al. 2014b; Olufajo and Singh 2002). There- 2008). fore, Ewansiha et al. (2014b) emphasized that intercrop- Constraints of cowpea production are general to all ping system is associated with fewer plant population farmers in the study area. Hierarchically farmers are and low grain yield, shading effect of other cereal crops, faced with production constraints such as susceptibility overcrowding of crops, diseases and pest infestation. to storage pests, high pest incidence, late maturity, dif- From this study, it was realized that most (67.32%) ficulty in harvesting, high input cost, small grain size, of the farmers prefer high yielding cowpea varieties low yield, high disease incidence, poor colour, lack of in terms of their production value (Table  3). This is improved variety, drought, poor seed quality, poor seed because farmers are rational people and, hence they take germination, low pod filling, poor fodder quality, poor rational decisions with the primary focus of increas- taste and low recovery (Fig. 4). These findings agree with ing their production and profit margins. This finding some studies conducted in South Sahara Africa (Baoua agrees with Asrat et  al. (2010) who opined that yield is et al. 2021; Boukar et al. 2013; Horn and Shimelis 2020; an important characteristic of farmers’ crops and variety Olufajo and Singh 2002) and Europe (Lazaridi and Bebeli choices. Drought tolerance is also sought after by farmers 2023). Cowpea’s susceptibility to storage pests was dis- (Table  3). Cowpea is fairly drought-tolerant and thrives covered as the main production constraint in the study well in poor soil conditions (Obatolu 2003; Olajide and area. As pointed out by Tarver et al. (2007) and Tadesse Ilori 2017). However, anytime drought occurs during the et al. (2006) postharvest pest is a big problem for farm- agricultural cycle, it typically has a negative impact on ers in storing grains, for example, weevil destroys cow- the crop’s growth, production, and yield quality (Bacha- pea by making holes in the cowpea pod, destroying the rou Falke et al. 2019). According to Hamidou et al. (2013); economic value of the grain in a very short time. Addi- Hamidou et al. (2012); (Kambiranda et al. 2011), the time, tionally, it was discovered that late maturity and drought intensity, and length of the drought affects the yield of spells affect the production of cowpea in the study area the crop. Physiological characteristics such as leaf area, (Fig.  4). This indicates farmers are still producing the K arikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 9 of 11 local cowpea varieties which take a longer period (125 preference and utilization of the crop. Farmers indi- days) to reach maturity. This then coincides with the cated that susceptibility to storage pests, high pest inci- prolonged drought spells in the Guinea Savannah zone. dence, late maturity, difficulty in harvesting, high input Lamaoui et  al. (2018) assert that drought influences the cost, small grain size, low yield, high disease incidence, uptake of essential nutrients for plant growth and the poor colour, lack of improved variety, drought, poor seed ability of the seeds to properly germinate. Fahad et  al. quality, poor seed germination, low pod filling, poor fod- (2017) claimed that erratic rainfall in certain areas makes der quality, poor taste and low recovery are some con- farmers unwilling to enter cowpea production. straints that hinder cowpea production and utilization. The results from this study would lay foundation for Implication for breeding demand-driven cowpea varieties breeding programmes Technology developments should be done in a way that for farmers and consumers in Upper West region, Ghana will involve all stakeholders. This will ensure that the as a whole and Africa at large. In addition, agricultural technology being developed accentuates farmers prefer- extension workers and other stakeholders could leverage ences and in the same vein addresses their constraints. on the findings of this research to develop and promote Such technologies could consider farmers socioeconomic farmer-friendly cowpea technologies to boast production characteristics which can foster their easy adoption and and utilization as alternative source of protein for rural use. Hence, genetic improvements of cowpea should not households. only focus on high yielding, early maturity and drought tolerance but also palatability, less cooking time and pest AcknowledgementsThe present study was part of the Master of Science Degree in Agricultural resistance. Since these are also trait preference that drives Science thesis of the second author. The authors are grateful to Mrs Francisca demand and price which is of interest to farmers and Addae-Frimpomaah of CSIR-SARI who supported us during development consumers. Finally, scientist specifically cowpea breed- data collection tool. The authors appreciate the Agriculture Extension Agents of Ministry of Food and Agriculture who assisted us during data collection. ers should make conscious efforts to bridge the knowl- The authors acknowledge the contribution of cowpea farmers in the research edge and practice gap between researchers and farmers. areas for participating in the study voluntarily. Finally, the authors are grateful This can be done by reaching out to the farmers through to all other persons who assisted in diverse during data collection, analysis and drafting and revision of manuscript. Behavioural Change Communication, which can be spearheaded by extension officers. Since farmers in some Author contributions cases have no idea of the improvements undertaken by BK, AMA and IKA conceived, designed and supervised the study; MDM collected the data; BK and MDM analyzed the data. MDM and EA wrote first the scientific community thereby making adoption and draft of the paper. BK and DBA revised the manuscript. All authors read and use of such improvements low. Overall, the results from approved the final manuscript. this study suggest the need to form interdisciplinary Author’s information cowpea breeding committee comprising plant breeders, BK, AMA and IKA are faculty members of University for Development Studies, food scientists, soil scientists, mechanization experts, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Sciences (FoAFCS). MDM and EA agricultural extensionists, socio-economics, among oth- are past postgraduate students of FoAFCS. DBA is a faculty member of Univer-sity of Ghana, School of Agriculture. ers to contribute to breeding cowpea varieties that meet the needs of the farmers. It is suggested that this study Funding should be replicated in other agroecological zones of This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. It was solely financed by BK and Ghana to enable triangulation of findings. MDM. Conclusions Availability of data and materialsThe data presented in this study are available within the article. The study’s results indicated that a majority (58.5%) of the cowpea farmers practice intercropping whereas a minor- Declarations ity (41.5%) practice sole cropping in the study area. The farmers intercropped cowpea with other grain crops such Ethics approval and consent to participate as maize, millet, sorghum, groundnut, and soybean. Judg- The study was approved by graduate school of University for Development Studies. The informed consent of participants was always obtained verbally ing from production, market, consumption and fodder before the consultation/interview process was conducted, and the option to values farmers preferred cowpea varieties with the fol- participate or withdraw from the conduct of the study, was orally given to the lowing traits: high yield, drought resistant, early matur- participants. ing, pest resistance, improve soil fertility, high price, high Consent for publication demand, better taste, less cooking time, storage quality, Notapplicable. palatability and fast growing. Results further revealed Competing interests that some constraints hinder cowpea production, trait The authors declare no competing interest. Karikari et al. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience (2023) 4:17 Page 10 of 11 Author details Clavel D, Drame NK, Diop ND, Zuily-Fodil Y. 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