The economic impact of cowpea research in Senegal: an ex‐post analysis with disadoption

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of a long-term research collaboration between the Senegalese Institute for Agriculture Research (ISRA), and the Bean/Cowpea Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Adoption of the primary outputs from this collaboration, a nonchemical cowpea storage method and two short-season cowpea varieties, were tracked through a series of farmer interviews in 1996, 1997, and 2004 in the main cowpea growing area of Senegal. Combined with information from an impact assessment in the late 1980s, this study draws on ex-post adoption data from most of the product life cycle for the storage technology. The 2004 survey found that 60.4% of cowpea production in the main cowpea growing area of Senegal is stored in metal drums and that 69% of households use this storage technology; ISRA/CRSP improved short season varieties were determined to account for 3.6% of cowpea production. Baseline economic analysis of the most recent survey data, which includes benefits and costs of the storage technology and improved varieties, reveal an IRR to donor funding of 13%. The benefits of these technologies appear to be evenly distributed in the rural population on the basis of gender and ethnic background. Comparison of the rates of technology adoption over time, however, reveals that use of the storage technology may be decreasing; inclusion of this technology disadoption trend reduces the IRR by only 0.4% from the baseline estimate. Overall, estimated returns reveal that this collaboration has been a good investment for the U.S. and Senegalese governments, and other donors.JEL classification: O33, Q16

Evolution and impacts of groundnut research and development in Malawi: An ex-post analysis

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Cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. leads to pronounced mycorrhizal community differences

“…We also hypothesize that the expected changes in root AMF diversity can go along with a modification of plant growth performances and shoot NeP contents. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and millet (Pennisetum glaucum) play important socio-economic roles in Senegal (Diangar et al, 2004;Boys et al, 2007). As a grain legume and a cereal, respectively, they are both part of the diet of rural populations.…”

Reducing losses to maize stored on farms in East Africa using hermetic storage

“…The use of recycled containers, which are often available for sale in the container resale market following initial use, for hermetic maize storage is promising (Boys et al, 2007;Baributsa, 2010). However, epidemiology of several food-borne illnesesses have been traced to cross-contamination by pathogens and toxins, from food contact surfaces (ASM, 2009), during storage.…”

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