Farmers record bumper harvest, grateful to IITA – UAM striga resistant cowpea varieties.

IITA

Farmers in Jigawa and Kano states have attributed the bumper harvest recently recorded in this year cowpea cultivations to the effectiveness of the recently- introduced five different resistant cowpea improved seeds varieties jointly innovated by the University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM) and Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

These improved varieties by the two agricultural research Institutes are coming on the heels of a striga pest disease that have been ravaging the cowpea productivity in these areas of cultivated lands in both Jigawa and Kano states. 

 A cross section of the cowpea farmers who are part of the demonstration exercise in the two states described the IITA – UAM striga resistant varieties as the happiest thing that have ever happened saying it has been able to give high yield because of its resistant ability to drought and pest diseases. 

They applauded the efficacy of the new improved cowpea seeds to giving bumper harvest stressed this has not happened in the last few years since the infestation of the land ecologies by a weed parasite the scientists described as strigagesnerioides which had in many decades prevented large scale production of the crop. 

One prominent cow pea  farmer ,Muhammad Rabi’u Abubakar Maitsaniyais noted with satisfaction that  the new improved varieties have increased its production capacity to about three (3) hectares stressed he had already realized about N250,000 from the sale of fodder as animal feeds alone saying “ I want to commend the IITA – UAM for coming to the rescue of cowpea farmers with these improved seed varieties that have ability to fight striga as this will soon enable us to become the biggest cowpea trading centre in West Africa giving the fact that the entire land mass in the State is good for cultivation of cowpea since the striga problem has been solved”     

Also a 30 year old farmer,  Ishaq Jalo expressed his preference for the new cowpea varieties because of its brown colour with large seed while he commended the high yield ability of it based on the observations from the demonstration trials in the last and present seasons where he cultivated two hectares thereby describing the outcome as “more tasty and delicious when cooked while the fodder is equally good for animal feed and is very early maturing as compared to the traditional or local variety”

 Alhaji Usman Abdullahi, also of Dawakin Tofa is a cowpea farmer from Kano state who has tried three different varieties of cowpea being introduced by UAM – IITA through Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (KNARD), and he described the varieties as high- yielding and striga resistant saying “in the past I have harvested 20 bags but now it is about 40 bags I realized using new improved seeds”

 Most of the farmers described the newly developed cowpea varieties as coming at the right time adding that their entry into cowpea farming has boosted their income. Farmers are now acquiring more houses, buying motorbikes, and easily training their children and solving many other economic and financial challenges.

In a spirited effort to promote cowpea improved varieties for acceptability among farmers, UAM and IITA have organized a farmers’ field day at Sule – Takaranka in Gumel Local Government Area of Jigawa State which was attended by over 100 cowpea farmers, who had the privilege to choose among the various varieties of cowpea at a demonstration farm where the developed Striga resistant varieties are being cultivated.

An agronomist and principal Investigator Mr. Teryima Iorlamen, Tropical legume III, Cowpea Seed System, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said that farmers in Jigawa State now have varieties of striga resistant cowpea to choose for cultivation just as Dr. Lucky Omoigui, a seed system specialist also from the IITA expatiated on the need to use improved seeds in the fight against striga for commercial production.

Dr. Omoigui encouraged cowpea farmers to justify the efforts of UAM / IITA in promoting the developed Striga resistant cowpea varieties by embarking on massive cultivation and production saying that community seed producers would be linked to seed companies to ensure availability of market for their produce. Those that have bumper harvests from the developed seeds were advised to open register to record sales of seeds to other farmers within the community. 

Meanwhile, in its relentless efforts to support Tropical Legume III cowpea activity in Benue and Jigawa States, the IITA recently donated a four wheel Hilux, Toyota Van to UAM to enhance the operations of seed systems activity.