Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is one of the most common tropical and subtropical legumes cultivated for its edible seeds. Because of its drought resistance it can be considered of the utmost importance for food security in regions where rainfall is unreliable and droughts are prone to occur. Pigeon pea is a perennial legume. It is a major source of protein. Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique and Uganda are the major producers in Africa.
Pigeon pea is used as a contour hedge in erosion control. Its cultivation could provide 40-60 kg N/ha to the following crop. It has a large residual effect on unfertilized maize, increasing grain yield by 57% and total plant dry matter by 32%. The extensive root system of Cajanus cajan improves soil structure by breaking plow pans, and enhances water holding capacity of the soil. Its deep taproot is able to extract nutrients (like P) from the low layers of the soil, and deposit them in the upper layers where they can benefit other crops. The leaves and immature stems can be cut and used as green manure. Fallen leaves act as a mulch and are estimated to return about 40 kg N/ha. They are also a source of organic matter, thus helping to prevent erosion due to heavy rains and to reduce soil temperature. Tall varieties of pigeon pea are reported to be good windbreaks. Pigeon pea is able to provide shade to young seedlings.
The fruit of Cajanus cajan is a flat, straight, pubescent pod, 5-9 cm long x 12-13 mm wide. It contains 2-9 seeds that are brown, red or black in colour, small and sometimes hard-coated. Dry peas can be ground and mixed with wheat flour to give a higher protein content than flour alone. Immature pods may be cooked in curries and other relishes.
Pigeon peas are cultivated either as a sole crop or intermixed with cereals, such as sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), or maize (Zea mays), or with other legumes, such as peanuts (Arachis hypogaea). They are capable of symbiosis with Rhizobia, bacteria enriching soils through symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Pigeon peas can be of a perennial variety, in which the crop can last three to five years (although the seed yield drops considerably after the first two years), or an annual variety more suitable for seed production.
The crop is cultivated on marginal land by resource-poor farmers, who commonly grow traditional medium- and long-duration (5–11 months) landraces. Short-duration pigeon peas (3–4 months) suitable for multiple cropping have recently been developed. Traditionally, the use of such input as fertilizers, weeding, irrigation, and pesticides is minimal, so present yield levels are low (average = 700 kg/ha). Greater attention is now being given to managing the crop because it is in high demand at remunerative prices.
Pigeon peas are very drought-resistant and can be grown in areas with less than 650 mm annual rainfall. With the maize crop failing three out of five years in drought-prone areas of Kenya, a consortium aimed to promote the pigeon pea as a drought-resistant, nutritious alternative crop. The commercialization of the pigeon pea is now enabling farmers to buy assets, ranging from mobile phones to productive land and livestock, and is opening pathways for them to move out of poverty.
Pigeon peas are both a food crop (dried peas, flour, or green vegetable peas) and a forage/cover crop. In combination with cereals, pigeon peas make a well-balanced meal and hence are favoured by nutritionists as an essential ingredient for balanced diets. The dried peas may be sprouted briefly (microgreens), then cooked, for a flavor different from the green or dried peas. Sprouting also enhances the digestibility of dried pigeon peas via the reduction of indigestible sugars that would otherwise remain in the cooked dried peas.
Fresh young pods are eaten as a vegetable (feeding proteins to young children). Pigeon peas are in some areas an important crop for green manure, providing up to 90 kg nitrogen per hectare. The woody stems of pigeon peas can also be used as firewood, fencing and thatch. It is an important ingredient of animal feed. Leaves, pods and seeds are used to feed all kinds of livestock. Pigeon pea has numerous uses in animal feeding. The leaves and pods are valuable and palatable protein-rich fodder.. Seed processing by-products, and sometimes the whole seeds, are used as livestock feed. The seeds can be fed to poultry, and mixtures of pigeon pea with maize grain were successfully used.
MALAWI-CHITUKUKO 
