Increasing Cowpea value chain sustainability in West Africa through product and process innovation

21st September 2018
by secretary

Paepard

18 September 2018. Gent, Belgium. Tropentag

Video interview with Yann E. Madode – with his CIRAD partner of the ICOWPEA project (Increasing Cowpea value chain sustainability in West Africa through product and process innovation) (Yann is also related to the Benin/Soy consortium)

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), also called black eyed pea, is a legume seed which is extensively cultivated and consumed in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a very interesting nutritional potential since it is rich in vitamins, proteins and fibres.
In Benin, this legume seed is used in many traditional dishes that are appreciated by the consumers: abobo (stew), ata (fritters), moin-moin, adowè (puree), ataclè…
Nevertheless, cowpea has two major disadvantages: it contains important quantities of antinutritional factors that induce digestive disorders and it needs a long soaking-cooking time which causes important micronutrient losses (including vitamins).
Using a transdisciplinary approach, ICOWPEA project (2017-2019), aims at developing technological solutions through an innovation platform that facilitate the launch of cowpea-based innovative products having a high nutritional value and meeting local demand.

Objectives
Through its research activities, ICOWPEA project aims:

Increasing cowpea consumption in Cotonou through the improvement of processing conditions and the development of cowpea-based products of high nutritional value.
Co-building sustainable product-process innovation in close collaboration with local cowpea processors and small food businesses through participative research.
Contributing to food security in urban context through the development of cowpea-based products having both high nutritional and organoleptic values.

ICOWPEA project presentation (in French) (888 Ko)

Partners
The different project partners and associated are already, for the most part, long-standing partners who collaborated on different projects.

CIRAD

French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for the sustainable development. CIRAD ensures the general coordination of ICOWPEA.
FSA-UAC

Faculty of Agronomic Sciences of the University of Abomey-Calavi (FSA-UAC), Abomey-Calavi, Benin
IRD

Research Institute for Development (IRD)/ NutriPass Unit, Montpellier, France
Montpellier SupAgro

Montpellier SupAgro – Institute for Higher Education in Tropical and Sub-Tropical Agri-Food Sciences, Montpellier, France
Small entreprises

ALITECH Industries entreprise, Cotonou, Benin, and other small businesses

Source: PAEPARD FEED

Increasing Cowpea value chain sustainability in West Africa through product and process innovation

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