Production Status, Breeding Priorities and Genetic Resources of Cowpea in Post-Civil War Somalia

Over the past three decades, Somalia has faced recurrent civil conflicts and prolonged droughts, leading to widespread displacement of farming communities. These disruptions have weakened traditional seed systems and potentially damaged local crop diversity. In this context, to strengthen the country’s food security and climate change adaptation of smallholder farmers, there is an urgent need to revive agricultural research and breeding programs for the main food crops grown in the country. Cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is the most important food crop after maize and sorghum in Somalia, providing inexpensive protein for humans and biologically fixed nitrogen for low-input crop production systems in the country. This study assessed the current status of cowpea production, identified breeding priorities across three agroecological zones in southern Somalia, and established a core germplasm collection for future breeding programs. Farmer surveys were conducted in Baidoa, Afgoie, and Jowhar, involving interviews with 150 farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results showed that over 60% of farmers cultivate cowpea for both household consumption and market purposes. While the crop is predominantly grown as an intercrop, nearly 45% of farmers in Afgoie grow it as a sole crop. Marked regional differences were observed in varietal preferences, with farmers in Afgoie favouring erect, uniformly maturing cultivars with a dark-red seed colour, whereas other regions demonstrated more diverse preferences. Production constraints also varied by location, with drought identified as the primary limitation in Baidoa, and pests and diseases as the major challenges in Afgoie and Jowhar. Accordingly, farmers ranked early maturity as the top breeding priority in Baidoa, whereas disease and pest resistance were the primary targets in Afgoie. Furthermore, we established a germplasm collection representing Somalia’s cowpea diversity from both the pre- and post-war periods. The collection also includes a subset of global cowpea diversity and accessions with known desirable agronomic traits. These genetic resources, together with farmer survey data, provide a foundation for targeted breeding efforts aimed at improving cowpea productivity and enhancing food security in Somalia in the future.