Farmers' Awareness of African Yam Bean and Intercropping Practices in Cashew-Based Systems in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) is an important cash crop in Nigeria, yet its production is constrained by declining soil fertility and limited crop diversification. Farmers often rely on intercropping to secure food and maximize land-use efficiency. The African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa), a neglected and underutilized legume with high nutritional value and nitrogen-fixing ability, remains largely excluded from these systems and poorly recognized by cashew farmers. This study investigated farmers’ awareness of African yam bean and intercropping practices in Ogbomoso, with the aim of exploring its potential introduction into cashew-based farming systems. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, Ogbomoso and 3 cashew-growing LGAs were purposively selected, and 151 farmers were randomly selected, then interviewed through structured questionnaires complemented with field observations. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The respondents were predominantly male (78.1%), middle-aged and had long farming experience (mean 24 years), while 27.2% of them had never been visited by an extension agent. Awareness of African yam bean was extremely low, with only 7.3% reporting prior consumption and none having cultivated it or known of market opportunities. Intercropping practices were dominated by cassava, maize, yam and tomato, with cassava-based mixtures accounting for 57% of combinations. Despite this, 96% of farmers expressed willingness to adopt African yam bean if seeds and markets were made available. The findings reveal both low awareness and strong potential for adoption. Deliberate awareness creation, seed system development and market linkage are necessary for promoting African yam bean as a sustainable intercrop in cashew systems.