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oai:library.wur.nl:wurpubs/348668 2024-01-19 edurep openaire public thesis publickb
Zannou, A. Richards, Paul Struik, Paul Agbo, V. Zoundjihékpon, J. Doctoral thesis Socio-economic, agronomic and molecular analysis of yam and cowpea diversity in the Guinea-Sudan transition zone of Benin 2006 Keywords: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata(L.) Walp.),yam ( Dioscorea spp. ), agro-biodiversity, farmer perception, market and consumer preferences, socio-cultural preferences, human and social capitals, genotype by environment interaction, socio-technical knowledge, domestication, inter-(trans)disciplinarity / Beta-gamma science.Management and use of yam and cowpea genetic resources analysed in this thesis are important to realize agricultural development inBenin, both on the short and long run. In this thesis the diversity of local varieties of yam and cowpea, often ignored by classical research, is analysed. Different methodological approaches, including technography, diagnostic study at village level, and joint farmer-researcher managed experimentation, have been combined with socio-cultural, market and consumer studies. Molecular tools have been used to assess the level of genetic diversity in these two crops.Socio-cultural determinants, market and consumers' preferences, and the morphological and agronomic characteristics of different varieties of these two crops are all relevant for social acceptability and adaptability, and for the adoption of new varieties by local subsistence farmers. Different yam and cowpea varieties are used for rituals each year. The yield performance varied from one variety to another, and within one variety, from one year to another (or one place to another) depending on variability in agro-climatic conditions. While any successful variety of yam or cowpea should be adapted to stressful agro-climatic or poor soil conditions, it should be also adapted to the often specific needs of the farmer and to his/her socio-cultural environment. Moreover, varieties need to satisfy consumer preferences and market demands. Often, one single variety of yam or cowpea cannot meet all these criteria. Given these multiple purposes and multiple objectives, adequate management of diversity of varieties is essential to farmers, as a strategy to cope with food security and income generation all year round.Prices of different varieties of yam and cowpea on the market reflect the food technological or taste characteristics perceived or recognized by consumers in these varieties. The market provides important information on diversity of varieties and on their characteristics.Based on the morphogenetic and physiological characteristics recognized by farmers as limitations, or as natural constraints in the proper use of seed tubers of different yam varieties, this thesis undertook a participatory technology development programme with farmers to improve the knowledge of both the researcher and the farmers of seed tuber propagation through induced sprouting, and through use of different parts of the tuber as planting materials. The thesis also pays attention to farmers' own experimentation in developing new yam varieties by domesticating wild yams, and shows that this activity - probably of ancient provenance inBenin- remains effective for farmers excluded by poverty from market participation. The improvement of the performance of these localvarieties remains a major future task for researchers and policy-makers inBenin.Two major conclusions can be drawn from this thesis. The first is that both social and natural sciences are necessary contributors to the understanding of diversity in yam and cowpea varieties as managed and maintained by farmers. This diversity is expressed at the molecular level and at farm level, but is also highly relevant on the market and in the socio-cultural life of the farmers. The second conclusion relates to findings concerning the possibility of engaging farmers and researchers in joint study of yam and cowpea diversity, with beneficial practical consequences. Joint experimentation focused on varietal characterization, and the joint participatory technology development, indicated that more effective research results can be obtained when farmers' perceptions and depth of experience is fully incorporated in research design. In this regard, technography and diagnosis remain continuously reviewed, allowing the incorporation of new ideas or innovations and new stakeholders in the experimentation process. The results assessment with and by farmers remains an essential aspect of judging work in farmer conditions to improve local livelihoods. In particular, the thesis emphasizes that - through domestication of yam - the poor show that they can contribute actively to development of scientific perspectives. These aspects of the Convergence of Sciences as focused upon yam and cowpea varietal management embrace both an inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research perspective. Cooperation and co-knowledge generation with farmers needs follow-up, and a scaling-up to reach other farmers. Specifically, it needs to be incorporated in the curricula of national research training systems. en Wageningen University application/pdf https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/socio-economic-agronomic-and-molecular-analysis-of-yam-and-cowpea https://edepot.wur.nl/34998 benin communication cowpeas dioscorea farmers indigenous knowledge innovations knowledge management pachyrhizus erosus plant genetic resources varieties vigna unguiculata yams bedrijfsvoering benin boeren communicatie dioscorea genetische bronnen van plantensoorten inheemse kennis innovaties kennis pachyrhizus erosus rassen (planten) vigna unguiculata vignabonen yams Wageningen University & Research