A case study on the production of traditional African vegetables in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Lack of dietary diversity is a key causal factor of malnutrition in Burkina Faso because the population consumes
mostly cereals crops. Nutrient‐dense traditional African vegetables provide an excellent means to complement
cereal staples for better nutrition, in particular for women and children, as well as for income generation. This
study characterized the production of traditional African vegetables in Burkina Faso based on a questionnaire
administered to 250 respondents. Results indicate the majority (75%) of the producers had no formal education and
generally practiced gardening in lowland areas near water damsandstreams. Tomato was cultivated by 35% of the
respondents, followed by okra (32%) and African eggplant (20%). Overall, more land was used for traditional
African vegetables compared to exotic species, but individual global vegetables occupied more space than
traditional vegetables; tomato was produced on 467 m2
and okra on 315 m 2
. About 98% of the producers practiced
manual irrigation with watering cans, compared to only 1% for drip irrigation. Soil and water conservation options
such as mulching and zaï were practiced by 76 and 21%, respectively. The producers were quite familiar with and
had access to improved seeds (73.2%), chemical fertilizers (72.4%) and nursery techniques (69.6%), but were less
knowledgeable about postharvest handling, integrated pest management and biological control. There is ample
scope for improving vegetable production practices through capacity building coupled with sensitization for
increased consumption of traditional African vegetables.