Quality Cowpea Seed Production Guide

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp), is one of the major legume crops grown in the semi arid regions of Uganda. It is an important food crop to support household needs from the early seedling stages to post harvesting time. In Uganda, the crop is an eminent source of food and household income to the resource poor and about 90% of the crop is grown in the eastern and northern districts of the country.

 This step by step guide for quality production of cowpea was developed as part of the project W2A-PR-115-Uganda Strengthening Seed Delivery System for Dryland Cereals and Legumes in Drought-prone Areas of Uganda supported in the 3rd project cycle of Benefit Sharing Fund (BSF) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) with support from European Union. It is a short illustration and step by step guide on how to cultivate cow pea, from land preparation to yields management. The guide intends to train farmers in promoting good agronomic practices and postharvest handling and pesticide safety to increase production of this resilient crop.