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Impact Of Agricultural Market Reforms On Smallholder Farmers In ...

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Female-headed households appear to have fewer household assets than male-headed households,<br />

though the differences appear in only some types of assets. For example, there is little difference in<br />

furniture ownership between the two groups, but female-headed households are less likely to own a<br />

radio/CD player, a television/VCR, a bicycle, or a motorbike. The total value of household assets is<br />

231 thousand FCFA for male-headed households compared to 128 thousand FCFA for femaleheaded<br />

ones (see Tables 4.1.155 and 4.1.156).<br />

Ownership of household assets is strongly correlated with per capita consumption expenditure. <strong>Of</strong><br />

the 14 categories of assets, 10 show a positive relationship between the percentage of households<br />

owning and the expenditure category. The exceptions are "other furniture", sewing machines,<br />

bicycles, and "other assets". Sewing machines are productive assets for some households, thus<br />

explaining the fact that poor households are no less likely to own one. Bicycles are probably an<br />

inferior good at higher income levels, since motorbikes become more widespread among richer<br />

households. The overall value of household assets rises from 92 thousand FCFA in the poorest<br />

expenditure category to 471 thousand FCFA in the highest (see Tables 4.1.157 and 4.1.158).<br />

Respondents were asked how the asset was acquired by the household. For most of the asset types,<br />

at least 85 percent of the households reported that the head of household purchased the item.<br />

<strong>In</strong>heritance, gifts, home production, and purchases by the wife are small compared to purchases by<br />

the husband. <strong>On</strong>e exception is heater/ovens, which are purchased by the wife in 58 percent of the<br />

households (see Table 4.1.159).<br />

Housing characteristics<br />

Housing is one of the most important assets owned by small-scale farmers in Bénin. The<br />

size and characteristics of the house are also key elements of the standard of living of the<br />

household. For these reasons, the IFPRI-LARES Small Farmer Survey collected information on<br />

the characteristics and estimated value of household dwellings.<br />

The houses occupied by farmers in Bénin can be summarized as follows:<br />

<br />

More than three-quarters of the dwellings in rural Bénin (79 percent) have mud brick or<br />

dried mud walls. The remaining houses are divided evenly among three other types of<br />

walls: brick or stone, cement, and bamboo or straw.<br />

97

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