PEARL MILLET PRODUCTION PRACTICES IN SEMI-ARID WEST AFRICA: A REVIEW

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is an important grain crop for millions of poor farmers and consumers in the semi-arid region of West Africa. During the past 40 years, much research on pearl millet production practices and adoption in this region has been conducted, but an attempt to summarize these results has not been previously completed and these research results are not readily available to many West African scientists. This review was completed to address this need and integrate knowledge, and at the same time identify research needs for the future and extension priorities for semi-arid West African agro-ecological zones. Research has shown that selection of improved varieties and cropping systems, appropriate cultural practices, and recommended integrated soil, nutrient, residue and pest management can greatly increase grain and stover yields of pearl millet. However, adoption by farmers has been minimal due to limited profitability, high risk and labour demand, limited input supply, market availability and appropriate public policy. This review has 196 articles included as in-text citations (Table 1) compared to 149 articles in the reference list, indicating that only one in four articles integrated two or more topics in the research. The obvious conclusion is that most of the past research has not addressed the 'system' but rather one or two management practices. In addition, most studies have interpreted responses in terms of yield without addressing other important considerations for farmer adoption. Recent conservation agriculture research moves closer to addressing the larger integrative types of research needed. Such research is complex and requires sustained funding for field and laboratory activities, but also for computer simulation modelling and economic assessment.