Poster presented during the 5th World Cowpea Conference, 27 September to 1 October, Saly, Senegal. The conference is jointly organized and hosted by IITA, ISRA, the Dry Grains Pulses CRSP, and the Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage.

An impact assessment study was conducted in April 2010 in Niger and Burkina Faso to provide an initial estimate of the adoption of hermetic storage. The data shows that hermetic storage accounted for 77% of farm stored cowpea in Burkina Faso, 69% in the Dosso-Tillabery (DT) region of Niger and 70% in the Maradi-Zinder-Tahoua (MZT) region of Niger. Among hermetic storage methods, triple bag technology was 30%, 38% and 7% of total cowpea stored on farms in Burkina Faso, Niger DT and Niger MZT, respectively.

A stratified random sample of farm households in Niger and Burkina Faso was interviewed to determine their cowpea production and storage practices. Data was collected from 620 households in Niger and 317 households in Burkina Faso in villages that were part of PICS activities (VPICS) and villages where no PICS activities were conducted (NE).

Abstract

Introduction

Methods

Conclusion

Hermetic storage has the potential to reduce cowpea storage losses, eliminate health problems due to misuse of insecticides on stored cowpea and give farmers more flexibility in marketing. Adoption surveys in 2003 and 2004 showed that many farmers in West and Central Africa were using hermetic storage, but often failed because they did not understand the principles of storage in air tight containers and, lacked good quality and cost-effective containers.

The goal of the Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) Project is to have 50% of the cowpea grain stored on farms in West and Central Africa in hermetic storage without insecticides by 2012. The project started in 2007 with activities in Niger and Burkina Faso. PICS implemented storage demonstrations in over 9000 villages in these countries and worked with plastics manufacturers, distributors and retailers to create a supply chain for triple layer plastic storage bags. Implementing partners included INERA in collaboration with AFRICARE, CRUS and CRS in Burkina Faso; and World Vision and INRAN in Niger. An impact assessment study was conducted in April 2010 to provide an initial estimate of the impact of PICS in those two countries.

PICS bags availability: Establishing a supply chain is still a challenge. Availability of credit to rural retailers and the risk associated with the new business are some of the constraints that prevented a greater coverage of the rural markets.

A random sample of 937 farmers were interviewed in Niger and Burkina Faso to estimate adoption of hermetic storage technology after three years of the PICS program. Results showed that overall hermetic storage of cowpea was 77% in Burkina Faso, 69% in Niger DT region and 70% in the Niger MZT region. TB adoption was estimated at 30% in Burkina Faso, 38% in Niger DT region, and 7% in the Niger MZT region. As can be seen from the difference in TB adoption between the two regions in Niger, a key challenge is PICS supply chain development.

Adoption of Hermetic Storage for Cowpea in Niger and Burkina Faso in 2010.

Bokar Moussa, 1 J. Lowenberg-DeBoer2 and Dieudonne Baributsa3, Purdue University1Ph.D. Research Assistant, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University2Professor, PICS Principal investigator, International Programs in Agriculture, Purdue University3PhD. PICS Team Manager, International Programs in Agriculture, Purdue University

Adoption Results

Results of the study showed substantial TB use in 2008, when the project was implemented full scale in villages, and in the 2009 follow-up year. Overall the highest adoption was found in Niger DT region, where the PICS supply chain is best developed. Due to PICS bag supply chain problems and the bad cowpea harvest in 2009, the MZT region reported modest TB adoption. Percentages stored are reported in Fig.2.

Farmers were informed about the TB through several sources. Radio is the most important source, especially in Niger. Almost all respondents had heard about the TB. The most important gap was the 11% of respondents in the non PICS villages (NE) in Burkina Faso who did not know about PICS technology.

Market Information Niger and Burkina

Niger DT

Niger MZT

Burkina Faso

Distance where bags are sold

5.8 12.5 9

Distance to markets 5.4 8.1 7% of markets where bags are sold

30 25 40

Two main regions were considered in Niger: Maradi-Tahoua-Zinder (MZT, in eastern Niger) and Dosso-Tillabery (DT, in western Niger). In Niger, PICS activities were implemented in 44% and 67% of villages in the cowpea growing area of MTZ and DT regions, respectively. In Burkina Faso, 46% of villages in the cowpea growing area benefited from PICS activities.

Results

12 1522

44

2 3 511

2431

20

62

1 2 0 2

17

814

43

1 1 0 1

02

04

06

0

Burkina DT MZT

Fig. 1. Information Sources on Triple Bag Technology

ParticipantFarmerExtension agentRadioNeighboring villageMarketOther sourceNot heard

Several NGOs were involved in the PICS program. While the coverage area of these NGOs is often limited, the impact of their intervention in those areas was at times greater than in areas where PICS relied only the national extension services. Adoption broken out by PICS partner in Burkina Faso is shown in Figure 3.

In addition to the extension activities, these NGOs handled questions related to the supply chain in their respective areas as well. The high adoption level reported can be explained in part by the more intensive supervision in the NGO villages.

Impact of NGO Intervention:

Information Source on TB Technology

22 2530

18

6

29

2

38

25

6

18

45

7

29

1

010

20

30

40

50

Burkina faso Niger DT Niger MZT

Fig. 2. Percentages of Cowpea stored with different methods in 2009

Other Hermetic Double bag Triple bagTraditional Insecticide

28 31

6

26

9 115

79

5 0 2 0

98

0 0

17 20

52

92

10 5

85

0 0

02

04

06

08

01

00

NE VCRS VCRUS VPICS Vafricare

Fig. 3. Implications of different organisations and impact on adoption in Burkina Faso in 2009

Other Hermetic

Double bag

Triple bag

Traditional

Insecticide

Acknowledgements: Funding support by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, PICS partners, and all enumerators.