Black-eyed peas also known as Cowpeas or niébé originated in Africa and are widely grown around the world. Niébé, a variety of cowpea is a drought-resistant bean that thrives even in the dry, arid soils of the Sahel. The niébé bean improves soil quality in the Sahel by fixing nutrients since its nitrogen requirements low; its roots form nodules that contribute to the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen. The Sahel of Africa is a huge dry area and includes northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, northern Nigeria, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, northern South Sudan, Eritrea, Cameroon, Central African Republic and northern Ethiopia. Cowpeas, especially the Niébé variety of cowpea is grown by many women small farmers, throughout West Africa. What exactly are cowpeas? African cowpeas black-eyed peas facts and information. Black-eyed peas or cowpeas originated from West Africa. Throughout Africa black-e...