FARMER ACCEPTABILITY CRITERIA IN BREEDING COWPEA

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) farmers from diverse geographical areas in northern Cameroon selected breeding lines from on-station trials for t heir own fields and explained their reasons (criteria) for making the selections. The average selection intensity employed by farmers varied from 6 to 17% and was similar to that employed by plant breeders. The ir selection criteria fell into three broad categories relating to yie ld, preference and quality, and labour, which were very consistent ove r years, locations and gender. Selection criteria were strongly influe nced by market preferences, reflecting the increasing role of cowpea a s a cash crop. Implications of these findings for breeding strategies and genetic resource conservation are discussed.