The ILRI forage genebank holds more than 600 cowpea accessions. Among these, 5 accessions are improved varieties developed and released for fodder production.

Cowpea is a dual-purpose, fast-growing, annual legume suitable for grazing, hay/silage, grain or green manure. It is an excellent crop for fattening both sheep and cattle and is also regarded as good feed for milking cows. The seeds, pods and succulent leaves can be consumed as food. In a crop rotation program, cowpea can significantly improve soil nitrogen levels by nitrogen fixation or by incorporation in the soil as a green manure crop.

Cowpea is moderately drought-tolerant and fast-growing in areas with average annual rainfall as low as 500 mm. It is best grown in areas with annual rainfall between 750 and 1,100 mm (Madamba et al. 2006; Heuze and Tran. 2015). Adapted to produce in a wide range of soils from sands to heavy, well-drained clays, cowpea has a preference for lighter soils that favour good root development (Sheahan 2012). It is commonly grown in heavy textured, strongly alkaline soils.