Moroccan Journal of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences

Vol. 12 No. 3 (2024): September 2024
Crop Production and Environment

Production system and socio-economic importance of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) and macabo (Xanthosoma sagittifolium Schott) in Benin

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  • Sylvie TAMADAHO,
  • Gbèdomèdji Hurgues Aristide HOUENON ,
  • Rose Fernande FAGBEDJI,
  • Aristide Cossi ADOMOU,
  • Hounnankpon YEDOMONHAN
Sylvie TAMADAHO Laboratoire des Sciences du Végétal et Pharmacopée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Bénin
Gbèdomèdji Hurgues Aristide HOUENON
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2010-7529 (unauthenticated) Laboratoire des Sciences du Végétal et Pharmacopée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 4521, République du Bénin
Rose Fernande FAGBEDJI Laboratoire des Sciences du Végétal et Pharmacopée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 4521, République du Bénin
Aristide Cossi ADOMOU Laboratoire des Sciences du Végétal et Pharmacopée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 4521, République du Bénin
Hounnankpon YEDOMONHAN Laboratoire des Sciences du Végétal et Pharmacopée, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 4521, République du Bénin

Published 2024-09-16

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Abstract

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) and macabo (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) are neglected crops with high food, medicinal and economic potential. The aim of this study is to evaluate the production system and document the socio-economic importance of taro and macabo in Benin. Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out (individual and group interviews) using semi-structured questionnaires with 349 producers. Data collected included socio-demographic characteristics of informants, cultivation practices, production constraints, uses and market value of tubers of both species. The findings showed that the surveyed producers obtain their seeds from past crop harvest for both taro (52.1%) and macabo (54.3%). Farmers grow taro and macabo respectively on swampy or floodable and drained soils. The major constraint common to both species is the absence of high-yielding varieties (23% for taro and 95% for macabo). Taro and macabo tubers are used in the preparation of 5 recipes. The findings also revealed the involvement of these two organs in the treatment of several diseases/symptoms. Moreover, the price of 4 to 5 tubers weighing 2.5 to 5 kg varies between 3,000 and 5,000 CFA francs for C. esculenta var. esculenta, compared with 500 to 1,000 CFA francs for 1 to 2.5 kg for macabo. This study revealed the existence of several constraints for the promotion of local varieties of taro and macabo.

Keywords: taro, macabo, production, constraints, uses and economic value, Benin

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References