Unlocking the profitability of indigenous fruits and vegetables in West Africa: Evidence from a nine-country study on gender and institutional determinants

Over the years, indigenous fruits and vegetables (IFVs) have been considered crucial for enhancing food security, improving nutrition, and supporting rural incomes across the West Africa sub-region. However, empirical evidence on their economic viability remains limited, particularly across diverse country contexts. This article examines the profitability of IFVs using cross-country survey data from 1711 farmers in nine West African countries. Using descriptive statistics, logit models, and Tobit ordinary least squares (OLS) regression with robust standard errors on inverse hyperbolic sine (IHS)-transformed gross margins, the paper estimates gross margins for IFV production and identifies key drivers of profitability, including gender, farm size, land ownership, fertilizer use, training, and market access. Our findings indicate that IFV production is profitable across countries, though with notable variability. Particularly, gross margins from actual sales ranged from a mean of US$8.59 in Burkina Faso to US$620.62 in Nigeria. Female farmers are associated with significantly lower margins than their male counterparts. Land ownership, fertilizer application, participation in marketing groups, and farm gate sales are positively associated with profitability. Small-scale farms show higher productivity per hectare, supporting the inverse farm size-productivity hypothesis. Overall, IFV cultivation offers a viable pathway for generating rural income. The study provides new evidence supporting the integration of IFVs into agricultural development policy and practice. Essentially, interventions addressing gender disparities (e.g., through targeted training and land rights reforms), land tenure insecurity, and market access constraints are critical to unlocking the full potential of IFV farming in West Africa.