Preferences and Consumption of Pigeon Peas among Rural Households as Determinants for Developing Diversified Products for Sustainable Health

Zahra Saidi Majili, Cornelio Nyaruhucha, Kissa Kulwa, Khamaldin Mutabazi, Constance Rybak and Stefan Sieber
Additional contact information
Zahra Saidi Majili: Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro Box 3006, Tanzania
Cornelio Nyaruhucha: Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro Box 3006, Tanzania
Kissa Kulwa: Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro Box 3006, Tanzania
Khamaldin Mutabazi: School of Agricultural Economics and Business Studies, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro P.O. Box 3007, Tanzania
Constance Rybak: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF e. V), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
Stefan Sieber: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF e. V), Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-15

Abstract: Pigeon peas are legumes with a high nutritional value. Existing studies of pigeon peas in Tanzania mainly examine production and marketing, but little has been documented with respect to consumer preferences and the consumption of pigeon peas. This study assesses the preferences surrounding pigeon peas and their consumption as bases for the development of diversified and shelf-stable products for nutrition and income improvement. This study comprised 303 randomly selected farming households. Furthermore, 60 farmers participated in six focus group discussions in the Lindi region. A structured questionnaire and a checklist with guided questions were provided for data collection. The analysis uses SPSS (V.21), with differences between groups established using Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests. The associations were tested using Spearman’s ρ at p < 0.05. The mean pigeon peas consumption during the harvesting and lean seasons was 80 g/person/day and 18 g/person/day, respectively. The frequency of consumption was higher during the harvesting season (92%) than the lean (29%) season. The majority of farmers (91%) preferred to consume the local variety, with 84% of them consuming pigeon peas as stew. Five pigeon pea recipes exist in the area. The farmers identified availability, taste, source of income, and familiarity as the factors determining pigeon pea consumption and preferences. With limited recipes and other barriers limiting consumption, the creation of innovative ideas for the development of diversified and shelf-stable products fitting their consumption preferences is needed.

Keywords: pigeon peas; legumes; preference; consumption; Tanzania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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