Dairy products valorization in Fulani households of North Eastern Benin

La population pastorale et agro-pastorale du Bénin détient presque la totalité du cheptel bovin national. Le lait constitue le produit le plus fréquent issu de l'élevage bovin. Une enquête a été menée dans la commune de Kalalé au sein de 16 ménages peuls afin de comprendre l'organisation de ces ménages dans la gestion du lait. Il ressort que l'organisation autour du capital lait est genre sensible: l'homme aussi bien que la femme, dans leurs rôles respectifs, contribuent à assurer la pérennité du capital bétail. Le lait est géré de façon à privilégier la consommation du ménage et à assurer la reproduction du troupeau. La rémunération du travail fournit ainsi que l'équité dans la distribution des richesses au sein du ménage peul octroi aux femmes qui sont dans le troupeau plus de bénéfices issues du lait provenant du troupeau familial. La disponibilité des produits laitiers dépend de la saison et du milieu. Le lait prévu pour la consommation humaine est gérée de sorte à avoir, une utilisation optimale du lait et de la viande, afin de combler les besoins actuels des membres du ménage, d'assurer la reproduction des biens du ménage ; avant d'alimenter le marché de produits laitiers

Production of Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth. for reforestation in southern Benin

The viability of Acacia auriculiformis production system in southern Benin was studied from an analytical perspective combining the production techniques and the financial profitability. The driving research question was as follows: "Will the nurseries be able to supply the seedlings suited to successful reforestation programmes?" A survey was carried out among nursery holders in the Atlantique Department. The snowball sampling method enabled to survey 55 nursery holders, based on semi-structured interviews. Respondents provided data on the organisation of production, production techniques, production costs, and sales revenues. There were two types of nurseries: individual nurseries and collective nurseries. The stages of acacia seedlings production were as follows: seed collection, dormancy breaking, sowing, and cares for young seedlings. Overall, the production techniques used by nursery holders were effective. The net revenue for 1000 seedlings ranged between XOF 9000 and 26000. Collective nurseries had lower production costs, hence higher revenues, compared to individual nurseries. It is essential to support nursery holders through capacity strengthening training and the availability of good quality seeds

Consentement À Payer Et Rentabilité D'une Innovation En Agro-Alimentaire : Cas Du Décorticage Mécanique Et De La Fortification En Fer Du Sorgho Dans Le Nord-Bénin

The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, it is a question of assessing the determinants of the willingness to pay (WTP) of farming households in Thian, a village located in northern Benin, exposed to the risk of anemia, to benefit from an agro-food innovation aimed at reduce these risks : dehulling and iron fortification of sorghum. Secondly, there was talk of evaluating the financial profitability of this innovation. To do this, socioeconomic and financial data were collected from 90 chef-kitchens prepared to adopt the innovation, the operator in charge of shelling and fortification services, the supplier of shelling equipment and the supplier of iron. The contingent valuation method was used to collect respondents' WTP and the linear regression model to identify the determinants of these WTP and calculate their mean value. In addition, the cash flow method was used to assess the financial profitability of de-hulling and fortification services. The results reveal that the WTP (whose average is 24.4 FCFA) is negatively influenced by the fact that the respondent belongs to the pilot phase of the project and the average quantity of sorghum devoted to the consumption of dibou (sorghum paste). In a context where the monetary discount rate is 12%, mechanical shelling and iron fortification of sorghum as an economic activity is not profitable

Connaissances Paysannes Et Prédisposition À Adopter Une Innovation En Agro-Alimentaire : Cas Du Décorticage Mécanique Et De La Fortification En Fer Du Sorgho Dans Le Nord-Bénin

The consumption of meals prepared from unshelled sorghum derivatives is a factor favoring iron deficiency anemia among consumers. Mechanical dehulling and iron fortification of sorghum appears as a palliative solution. This study has a dual purpose. First of all, it is a question of assessing consumers' knowledge of sorghum meals with regard to anemia and its causes. Descriptive statistics have been used for this purpose. Then, it was discussed to analyze the determinants of the predisposition of these consumers to adopt mechanical dehulling and iron fortification of sorghum. To do this, the Logit econometric model was used. According to the results, anemia is caused by factors such as malaria, malnutrition, witchcraft, non-respect of fetishes, etc. In addition, households' propensity to adopt innovation is positively influenced by the income of the chef-cuisine, the perception that it has of its social status after the adoption of innovation and the compatibility of it with norms and values of the household. However, it is negatively influenced by the participation of the chef-cuisine in the experimentation phase and by the perceived complexity of the innovation

Demography and zootechnical performance of traditional cattle farming in Northern Benin

The study was conducted with 150 Fulani herders in the departments of Borgu and Alibori in Benin. It aimed to determine the zootechnical parameters of traditional cattle farms. The survey collected information on the characteristics of cattle herds. The results showed a high proportion of females (76%), an average herd size (66 animals) and the prevalence of the Borgu breed (86%). The herds also showed a low breeding performance, characterized by a high calf mortality rate (10%), and low reproductive parameters (64% calving and fertility rates). In a year, 0.57 calf was weaned on average by its dam. The low performance of cattle farms in coastal countries such as Benin is consistent with that of pastoral areas, which is complementary in terms of meat supply to West African markets

Plantations de teck, Tectona grandis L.f., en sylviculture paysanne au Sud-Bénin

peer reviewedThis article used the farming system framework to characterise smallholder plantings of teak, Tectona grandis L.f., in southern Benin. The intention of this study was to show the policy line best suited to capturing the potential of smallholder forestry. The specific question addressed was as follows: how do smallholder farmers manage to integrate tree growing on their farms? Empirical assessments were based on a sample of 221 farmers selected through a cluster sampling procedure in five municipalities in the Atlantic district. Data were collected from face-to-face interviews based on a standardised questionnaire. A multivariate approach associating cluster analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to build a typology of teak planting systems. This was based on production objectives, the teak plantation area, overall farm size and the contribution of family labour to timber production. The study enabled to identify three planting systems related to different strategies for integrating teak planting on smallholdings. These planting systems were classified as “small - labour dominant” (33.48% of the sample), “medium - capital dominant” (37.56%), and “large - capital dominant” (28.96%). The farmers specialised in pole-wood production to supply urban demand for cheap construction timber in the region. The first three motivations for growing teak were to earn income, to satisfy household timber needs and to secure title to the land; however, the ranking of the last two motivations was reversed among farmers in the “large - capital dominant” planting system. Secure land tenure and the existence of a domestic market outlet are essential to successful development of on-farm tree growing.Cette étude se place dans le cadre du système agricole pour caractériser les modes de culture du teck, Tectona grandis L.f., sur les petites exploitations au Sud Bénin, avec pour objectif de cerner des orientations politiques à même de valoriser le potentiel de la sylviculture paysanne. La question posée est la suivante : par quels moyens les petits agriculteurs intègrent-ils la sylviculture sur leurs exploitations ? Une évaluation empirique a été menée en se basant sur un échantillon de 221 petits exploitants sélectionnés par échantillonnage en grappes sur cinq communes du département de l’Atlantique. Les données ont été recueillies par le biais d’entretiens en tête-à-tête à l’aide d’un questionnaire standardisé. Une approche à variable multiples associant analyse typologique et analyse en composante principale (Acp) a permis d’établir une typologie des systèmes de plantation du teck. Cette typologie se base sur les critères suivants : objectifs de production, superficies plantées en teck, taille de l’exploitation et contribution de la main-d’oeuvre familiale à la production de bois. L’étude a permis d’identifier trois systèmes de plantation associés aux différentes stratégies d’intégration d’une activité de sylviculture paysanne. Ces trois systèmes ont été classés selon les critères suivants : « petite taille à main-d’œuvre dominante » (33,48 % de l’échantillon), « taille moyenne à capital dominant » (37,56 %), et « grande taille à capital dominant» (28,96 %). Les exploitants se spécialisent dans la production de perches pour satisfaire la demande régionale de bois d’oeuvre à bas prix pour la construction urbaine. Les trois raisons principales motivant l’intégration des plantations de teck sont, dans l’ordre, la recherche de revenus, la satisfaction des besoins en bois de construction des ménages et la sécurisation des titres fonciers. Cependant, l’ordre des deux dernières est inversé dans le cas du système « grande taille à capital dominant ». La sécurité foncière et l’existence d’un marché domestique sont indispensables pour réussir le développement d’une sylviculture paysanne

Upgrading opportunities in agricultural value chains: Lessons from the analysis of the consumption of processed pineapple products in southern Benin

peer reviewedThis study analyzed the consumption of processed pineapple products in southern Benin. The low processing of agricultural products does not enable sub-Saharan Africa to exploit the potential of agriculture for development. The objective of this paper was to identify upgrading opportunities in Benin’s pineapple value chain. A survey was carried out from December 2012 to February 2013 among 250 respondents randomly selected in five cities in southern Benin; and data were collected based on structured interviews. Dried pineapple, jam, syrup, juice, and cocktail were the processed pineapple products available on the market. Beverages, especially the juice, were the main processed pineapple products. The motivations driving the purchase of processed pineapple beverages by consumers were: competitive price and interest in local, natural and therapeutic beverages. The results indicate there is a margin for the value chain to upgrade products and services, and increase the price of pineapple-based products while staying competitive. A strong marketing and advertisement campaign is essential to support wider knowledge of processed pineapple products by consumers. Product traceability is a prerequisite for export in regional and international markets. This makes the certification of the value chain a critical issue. A joint action of value chain stakeholders is needed to exploit these opportunities

Community perception of biodiversity conservation within protected areas in Benin

Commitment of local communities to protected areas is essential for conserving biodiversity. However, in many developing countries like Benin, former management strategies kept human from protected areas using coercion. Fortunately, more recent regimes attempt to give local populations more control on the management but little is known about local residents' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes toward the management of these areas. This study, carried out around the Pendjari National Park, determined factors which support local communities' positive perceptions towards biodiversity conservation in the park, analysed their assessment of current park management activities compared to former management approaches and draw the implications for effective participatory management of protected areas. We collected socio-demographic data from 164 residents on their awareness of conservation methods. We used Stepwise Discriminant Analysis to differentiate the variables that had the greatest power for discriminating between local residents' perception to conserve or not biodiversity and to manage the park. The findings indicated that the positive behavior of local communities towards conservation of biodiversity within Pendjari National Park was highly correlated with the current management strategy that involved more effectively local communities, the educational level of participants and their geographical origins. Participants' perceptions of biodiversity conservation were strongly related to locally perceived benefits. Although 89% of participants were favorable to the concept of biodiversity conservation within the park, the decision to ban encroachments due to agricultural activities increased negative opinion on this park management option. Our results suggested that understanding local residents' perceptions and using them as a starting point to improve the park-people relationship could help park management staff to involve more effectively local communities and improve their awareness about biodiversity conservation within the park.Benin Biodiversity conservation Pendjari National Park Local communities People perception Resource use