Comparison of some characteristics of cashew nut production in two agroecological zones of Burkina Faso

Abstract

AbstractSocial surveys were conducted for a duration of 3 months to collect information about cashew producers, their farms and production characteristics, identify their constraints in the cashew production in four villages of each of the South Soudanian and North soudanian zones. Statistical significance is recorded according to climatic zones at 5% probability. More than 60%, 76%, 77% and 94% of cashew producers are 40–60 years old, unschooled, male and autochthons, respectively. The seedling sources of planting material are varied and are statistically different with P = 9.18e−4. The cashew plants spacing, the pesticides used for inter-crops treatment and A. terebrans and D. trifasciata management are significantly different according to climatic zones with respective probabilities as P = 0.05, P = 7.90e−4 and P = 5.93e−3. Too many constraints are encountered to cashew producers and are varying significantly (P = 2.61e−4). Cashew total nuts yield and yield loss estimated by insects and pests infestation are weakly correlated to the number of cashew farms, cashew nuts production time, the attack time of A. terebrans or D. trifasciata and cashew orchards age in the Soudanian and Soudano-Sahelian zones with a probability < 0.05. The results of this study provide an important database for efficient production of cashew nuts and baseline for policy-makers and planers for decision-making in Burkina Faso.

Keywords

• cashew production
• pests infestation
• nuts yield
• constraints
• control strategies