Groundnut crops in resource-constrained farms in Senegal: an overlooked diversity of perceptions, practices, and performances.

Abstract

Abstract Groundnut is the first cash crop and the main legume crop cultivated in rotation with the staple cereals in family farms of Senegal. Most agricultural research has focused on determining genotypes and management options to improve the yield. Conversely, little research has focused on the drivers of farmers’ management decisions. Here, for the first time, we assessed how the diversity of farmers’ resources endowments and perceptions influenced their practices and socioeconomic performances in groundnut cultivation in a Sub-Saharan region. The study was carried out in one of the driest and poorest area of the centre-west of Senegalese groundnut basin. We surveyed 46 farms selected by local facilitators, as being representative of three wealth levels. Both semi-structured and close questionnaires were used. High resource-endowed farms had the highest groundnut area proportion (28%). They used farm-saved seeds, more manure and synthetic fertilizers at the groundnut/millet rotation level than low resource-endowed farms. Their average groundnut unshelled grain yield (0.6 t.ha− 1) was the highest, although four times lower than achievable yield. Remarkably, most of their groundnut was self-consumed and they were the ones who developed novel cash crops such as watermelon. Their return on investment in groundnut, if all the harvest was sold, was the highest (843%). Regression tree analysis revealed that number of seeders and fattening livestock were priority resources determining the rate of groundnut area at the farms. Low resource-endowed farms perceived lack of tools and capital as priority constraints, while high resource-endowed farms most mentioned lack of capital and quality seeds. All farmers perceived multiple opportunities to maintain groundnut on farm, notably ecological services. Our findings highlighted that farms’ heterogeneity of perceptions and resources may be significant even within a homogeneous pedoclimatic region. They provide strong evidence that more targeted actions are needed to support the sustainability of groundnut in Senegal.