Abstract

Cowpea is a major staple and cash crop in West and Central Africa but it suffers serious losses to insects during post-harvest storage. To prevent these losses, triple bagging in polyethylene and polypropylene sacks, a simple, low-cost hermetic technology, has been disseminated over the last five years through village activities in ten countries in West and Central Africa. Participation of women in these extension activities was low in some countries even though they play a major role in the cowpea value chain. To promote use of the storage technology by women, a cowpea storage competition with 286 women participants was organized in the province of Sourou in Burkina Faso. Sixty randomly selected participants were assessed to learn more about their role in the cowpea value chain and about the benefits that accrue from adoption of the hermetic storage technology. Results showed that 96.7% of women participated in cowpea production while 71.7% were involved in storage. The storage competition provided a learning opportunity for 85% of the participating women compared to only 40% who attended village demonstrations. The percentage of cowpea stored in Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) bags increased from 10% in 2007 to 96.5% in 2009. Women sold significant amounts of stored cowpea, proving this is an income-generating activity. Activities targeting women can increase their participation in outreach efforts and provide opportunities for them to improve storage and market access.  

Key words: Women, cowpea, storage, hermetic, West Africa, Burkina Faso.