Typologie des exploitations agricoles : caractérisation et accès aux services agricoles au Bénin (Afrique de l’Ouest)

Le secteur agricole constitue un levier très important du développement de l’économie béninoise. Il est dominé par la présence d’exploitations agricoles qui mènent plusieurs activités. L’objectif de cette étude était de caractériser ces exploitations agricoles et d’analyser leurs accès aux services agricoles au Bénin. Les données ont été collectées à l’aide des questionnaires et de guide d’entretien auprès d’un échantillon de 4880 exploitions agricoles. L’analyse typologique a été faite à l’aide d’une classification ascendante hiérarchique et d’une analyse en composantes principales. L’analyse du taux d’accès des exploitants agricoles aux services agricoles a été faite grâce aux statistiques descriptives et au calcul de pourcentage dans des tableaux croisés. L’analyse des variances a permis d’analyser les variations des taux d’accès des services agricoles entre les classes d’exploitations agricoles. Les résultats de l’étude ont montré qu’il existe trois catégories d’exploitations agricoles au Bénin. Il s’agit des gros agriculteurs (27,91%), des agriculteurs moyens (21,45%) et les petits agriculteurs qui sont majoritairement représentés (50,64%). L’appartenance à l’un ou l’autre des groupes d’exploitation est déterminée par la superficie des champs, le nombre d’actifs agricoles, l’utilisation de la traction motorisée, de la traction animale, le nombre de têtes de bovins, etc. L’analyse du taux d’accès des exploitations agricoles aux services agricoles a révélé que ces taux varient d’une catégorie d’exploitation à une autre. Cette étude permettra aux décideurs politiques de définir et bien orienter les politiques de recherches développement vers les acteurs du monde rural.   The agricultural sector is a very important lever for the development of the Beninese economy. It is dominated by the presence of farms that carry out several activities. The objective of this study was to characterize these farms and to analyze their access to agricultural services in Benin. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview guides from a sample of 4880 farms. The cluster analysis was done using an ascending hierarchical classification and principal component analysis. The analysis of the access rate of farmers to agricultural services was made through descriptive statistics and percentage calculation in cross tables. The analysis of variances was used to analyze the variations in the rates of access to agricultural services between the classes of agricultural holdings. The results of the study showed that there are three categories of farms in Benin. These are large farmers (27.91%), medium farmers (21.45%) and small farmers who are mostly represented (50.64%). Membership in one or another of the farming groups is determined by the area of the fields, the number of agricultural workers, the use of motorized traction, animal traction, the number of heads of cattle. , etc. Analysis of the access rate of farms to agricultural services revealed that these rates vary from one farm category to another. This study will enable political decision-makers to define and properly orient development research policies towards actors in the rural world

Farmers’ Knowledge and Management Practices of Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) in Benin, West Africa

Spodoptera frugiperda has caused significant losses of farmer income in sub-Saharan countries since 2016. This study assessed farmers’ knowledge of S. frugiperda, their perceptions and management practices in Benin. Data were collected through a national survey of 1237 maize farmers. Ninety-one point eight percent of farmers recognized S. frugiperda damage, 78.9% of them were able to identify its larvae, and 93.9% of the maize fields were infested. According to farmers, the perceived yield losses amounted to 797.2 kg/ha of maize, representing 49% of the average maize yield commonly obtained by farmers. Chi-square tests revealed that the severity of the pest attacks was significantly associated with cropping practices and types of grown maize varieties. About 16% of farmers identified francolin (Francolinus bicalcaratus), village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), and common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) as natural enemies and 5% of them identified yellow nutsedge, chan, shea tree, neem, tamarind, and soybean as repellent plants of S. frugiperda. Most farmers (91.4%) used synthetic pesticides and 1.9% of them used botanical pesticides, which they found more effective than synthetic pesticides. Significant relationships exist between farmers’ management practices, their knowledge, organization membership, and contact with research and extension services. More research is required to further understand the effectiveness of botanical pesticides made by farmers against S. frugiperda and to refine them for scaling-up