The objective of this study was to evaluate onion production systems in four municipalities along the Niger River. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among seventy-five onion producers distributed over ten perimeters. The results obtained reveal that onion is mainly grown by women (95%). 70% of the farmers own the farmed land, 20% rent and 10% borrow. The cultivation takes place between September and March. The cultivated varieties are ‘Galmi violet’ and ‘Gothèye white’, Onions are essentially transformed into Gabou, a traditional condiment. The areas exploited are generally less than half a hectare. Irrigation relies mainly on the gravity system. NPK fertilizer and urea in combination with manure are the most commonly used. For phytosanitary treatments, producers use pesticides and/or natural products based on aqueous extract. At harvest time, the price per 100 kg bag varies from 8 000 to 15 000 FCFA (12 to 23 €) and from 40 000 to 50 000 FCFA (61 to 76 €) after four months of storage. The average production cost per hectare is 1 208 564 FCFA (1844 €) and that of the net margins 551 857 FCFA (840 €).
