Bambara III
Lead Organization:
Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles
Partner Organizations:
IER, 30 women groups
Community of Practice:
Countries:
Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali
Duration:
8/2014—8/2018
Overview:
Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdcourt), also called “voandzou”, is a nutritious, neglected legume crop of special importance for women who grow it for family consumption and income generation. This project builds on six years of participatory research on Bambara groundnut. The project aims to sustainably enhance Bambara groundnut productivity and further develop the local Bambara groundnut value chain via identification of new Bambara groundnut production and marketing options that fit to specific socio-ecological contexts in three agroecological zones of Burkina Faso and one pilot site in Mali. Project partners include INERA (Burkina Faso) as lead institution, IER (Mali) and 30 women farmer groups in the project target areas.
Grant Aims:
Assess the effect of soil texture, structure, initial fertility and water content, farmers’ crop management, social and economic contexts on the productivity of Bambara groundnut varieties in different agro-ecological zones.Identify Bambara groundnut accessions, varieties and genotypes which are resistant / tolerant to fungi and virus diseases.Determine the biochemical composition of voandzou seeds and the presence/absence/level of aflatoxins.Put in place a community of stakeholders (growers, sellers, consumers and stakeholders who act on storage, processing and marketing) for the improvement of the Bambara groundnut value chain.Build the capacity of Bambara groundnut growers in organization management, voandzou value chain improvement and improved seed production through training, co-learning, monitoring and exchanges.
Outputs and Outcomes:
- Bambara groundnut growers regularly use best options for Bambara groundnut production and storage in their related agroecological, social and economic environments.
- Farmers and researchers gain knowledge on Bambara groundnut leaf diseases caused by virus and fungi and are able to implement appropriate strategies for controlling the negative effects of leaf diseases on Bambara groundnut yield (e.g., the use of tolerant/resistant varieties and agronomic practices).
- Bambara groundnut producers, consumers and sellers are aware of the agronomic, nutritional and economic benefits associated with Bambara groundnut production, and able to produce, process, and consume the crop to achieve benefits for their food security, enhancement of household nutrition, income generation and poverty reduction.
- Partners along the Bambara groundnut value chain are aware of their contributions and roles for Bambara groundnut value chain strengthening.
- Farmers are trained in farmer organization management, and their skills in Bambara groundnut production-storage-processing-marketing and improved seed production are increased.