DETERMINING FACTORS SUSTAINABLE SOYBEAN (Glycine max Merril) PRODUCTION IN FAMILY FARMING IN KABINDA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Soybean production is an important part of family farming in developing countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, soybean productivity is constrained by climatic hazards, population pressure and declining soil fertility, which is the basis for increasing poverty and food insecurity. To characterize the factors determining soybean production in the Kabinda sector, a survey was conducted among 100 randomly selected soybean producers in the three villages (Kananga, Bena Ngoyi and Kilo 20) using questionnaires followed by individual interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize soybean cropping systems and identify the various constraints to soybean production. The results of this paper show that the characteristics of soil fertility restoration methods, fallow is adopted by a large majority of farmers (69%) while the soybean+arachid combination is practiced in the cropping systems by soybean farmers (62%). Gender, age, level of education, membership in an agricultural association, farming experience, number of years in soybean production, and labor mode used were identified as the factors that determine soybean production in the study area. We suggested active participation of farmers in training workshops through farm families to help accelerate the adoption of innovative methods in soybean production.