Pollution-free dried cowpeas

Pollution-free dried cowpeas

　　Cowpeas are also known as goat’s horn, string beans (from *Yi Lin Zuan Yao*), horn beans, rice beans, kidney beans, long beans, or tassel beans (from *Illustrated Flora of China: Fabaceae*), and slurry beans (from *Guizhou Folk Herbal Collection*). In ancient times, they were called river beans. Cowpeas are divided into two types: long cowpeas and rice cowpeas. Long cowpeas are commonly used as vegetables, suitable for stir-frying or blanching and serving cold. Li Shizhen described them as “a bean that can be eaten as a vegetable, a fruit, or a grain, making it an excellent all-purpose crop and the finest among beans.” Cowpeas are elongated pods of the cowpea species in the Fabaceae family, originating from Africa, with Nigeria as the center of diversity. After being introduced to India, short-podded varieties developed; in Southeast Asia or China, the Yangtze River sub-species emerged.

　　Cowpeas are widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions. In China, cowpeas have a long cultivation history and abundant resources. They grow in all provinces and autonomous regions except a few. Major production areas include Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Guangxi, Hebei, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Taiwan.

　　As a major cowpea-producing region, Shihe District has leveraged cowpea cultivation to develop specialty and green agriculture such as peanuts and vegetables. This year, the planting area of cowpeas has exceeded 20,000 mu, with a yield of 30 million kilograms. The “Kuncheng” brand of pollution-free dried cowpeas, certified by the National Ministry of Agriculture, has become popular in major cities such as Shanghai, Chongqing, and Wuhan. Youhe Township and Wujiadian Town in Shihe District have become hubs for dried cowpea distribution. Youhe has also gained renown as the “Hometown of Dried Cowpeas,” hailed as the “vegetable basket” of Xinyang City. By expanding and strengthening its distinctive agricultural economy and increasing product value, Shihe District has forged a new path of agricultural industrialization focused on industrial restructuring.