Overview of Green Gram (Vigna radiata L.) Crop, Its Economic Importance, Ecological Requirements and Production Constraints in Kenya

Green gram (Vigna radiata L. Wilczek), also known as mung bean, is an important grain legume containing a high amount of digestible protein, amino acids, sugar, minerals, soluble dietary fibers, and vitamins. In Kenya, green production done mainly by smallholder farmers for food sale. The crop grown in arid semi-arid regions plays role towards achieving improved human nutrition health conditions, reducing poverty through security enhancing ecosystem resilience source food, animal feed, soil nitrogen health. Statistics show that though average area under has been growing since 1978, fluctuating consumption increasing steadily upholding constant deficit which catered imports. country’s yield ranges between 0.5-0.6 ton/ha compared to potential 1.5 global 0.73 tons/ha. constrained myriad factors such climate change effects, pest disease prevalence, poor agronomic practices, land degradation decline. Other challenges included: lack structured marketing systems research- extension- farmer linkages, Possession limiting smart agriculture knowledge skills. Access credit facilities agro processing technologies well narrow post-harvest loss management skills was identified other key constraints more so small scale farmers. It however noted the country achieve optimal greengram require adoption technologies, flow information, streamlined government policies, market system. current work reviews crop, with emphasis on its biology, economic importance, ecological requirements, status their management.