Stakeholders’ preference and participation in the development of improved cowpea varieties: Implications for Cowpea breeding

Cowpea is Ghana’s second-largest food legume. It is a vital source of plant protein, including minerals and amino acids that improve human nutrition and health. It plays a primary role in the livelihood of millions of relatively poor people, serving as a complete adult nutritional protein source, and the main protein source for many children. The main objective of this research was to examine Stakeholders preference and participation in the development of improved cowpea varieties in the Northern region of Ghana. The intent was to inform breeders about the cowpea features and qualities that stakeholders especially consumers prefer. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was used to collect the data using a multistage, snowball, and convenience sampling techniques from cowpea farmers (n= 415), marketers (n= 60), and consumers (n= 120), respectively. Content-validated questionnaires and structured interview schedules were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Standard deviations, Chi-square test, and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that there were low level of participation of all the stakeholders (farmers, consumers, and marketers) in development of new cowpea varieties in Northern Ghana. Also, farmers prefer improved cowpea varieties with crop attributes such as medium and straight pods size, varieties with yield potential, early maturing varieties, drought tolerant, and pest and disease resistant. The study revealed that stakeholders prefer cowpea which have smooth texture of the coat and easy to cook varieties. Further, farmers prefer medium grain sized cowpeas, while consumers and marketers prefer large grain size cowpeas. There were statistically significant differences among the stakeholders and their preference in terms of texture of the coat, grain size, and cookability. The study recommends, among others, need for scientists and breeders to incorporate crop and grain attributes such as texture of the coat, grain size, and cookability preferred by stakeholders in future cowpea breeding programmes.