Macrotyloma geocarpum is also known as the ground bean, geocarpa groundnut, Hausa groundnut, or Kersting's groundnut. In French, it is often called la lentille de terre. M. geocarpum is an herbaceous annual plant and a crop of minor economic importance in sub-Saharan Africa, tolerant of drought, with a growth habit similar to that of the peanut.
M. geocarpum is a pulse belonging to the legume family. It is primarily produced in western Africa, specifically in Benin and surrounding regions. It can provide nutrition, income, and the ability to alleviate hunger given the further production and enhancement of current practices.
Yields reach in dry seed.
Early 20th century, West Africa
Following the construction of the Nigerian railway system, which extended from Lagos in 1896 to Ibadan in 1900 and Kano in 1911, the Hausa of northern Nigeria became major producers of groundnuts. They surprised the British, who had expected the Hausa to turn to cotton production. However, the Hausa had sufficient agricultural expertise to realize cotton required more labor and the European prices offered for groundnuts were more attractive than those for cotton. "Within two years, the peasant farmers of Hausaland were producing so many tonnes of groundnuts that the railway was unable to cope with the traffic. As a result, the European merchants in Kano had to stockpile sacks of groundnuts in the streets." This is a great example of the African initiative taken by peasant producers to adapt to a cash economy. It is not clear, however, whether the "Hausa groundnut", M. geocarpum, was the groundnut being produced in such significant numbers, as peanuts and Bambara groundnuts are also grown in the region.
Nutritional value
M. geocarpum is noted for relatively low yields, but high protein content and desirable flavour. Per 100g of dried seed, it consists of 9.7 g of water, 348 kcal, 19.4 g protein, 1.1 g fat, 66.6 g carbohydrates, 5.5 g fibre, 103 mg calcium, 392 mg phosphorus, 15 mg iron, 0.76 mg thiamin, 0.19 mg riboflavin, and 2.3 mg niacin. Leaves can also be eaten.
Geography
Benin is located in the savanna of Africa which has weather conditions that are fairly humid in the south while being semiarid in the north . It offers growing conditions for a variety of crops that can be intercropped in the differing seasons, known as the dry season and rainy season, as well as having differing climate between the north and south. Southern climate is primarily stable, maintaining temperatures between 27 and 32 °C in the warmest season and 22 to 25 °C during the colder season. In the north, temperatures fluctuate between 27 and 32 °C in the dry season and 25 to 27 °C during the lowest season.
Mergeai notes that cultivated forms of Kersting's groundnut are known, but not commonly grown, in coastal African nations from Senegal to Nigeria. Tamini records the declining cultivation of Kersting's groundnut in the south west of Burkina Faso.
Growing conditions
The geocarpa groundnut pod develops in the ground in pods in regions in Benin under the previously noted climate conditions. The growing conditions that allow for the success of the groundnut are seen in several countries across Africa in the savanna.
Economics
While the groundnut provides nutrition and the potential to alleviate hunger in Africa, it also offers potential to reduce poverty by contributing economically to small-scale farmers. In Benin in 2012, a kilogram of the geocarpa groundnut could sell for $2–$4 - roughly three to five times the price of rice, and selling up to 30 bags a day produces noteworthy incomes. Specifically, incomes average $1000 a month for this product alone. Considering that this crop is being produced on an average of 0.48 ha of land, the underuse is evident. Increasing the area of farming land for this crop would be extremely beneficial to both producers and consumers, as it would allow for a greater generation of the crop and enhance the availability to the greater population. With the generation of $1000 monthly incomes, the possibilities that the geocarpa groundnut offer to the economies of small-scale farming in Benin and other regions is promising.