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

All or almost all the GVs in the sample supply fertilizer, pesticides, cotton seed, and equipment to
their members and handle the marketing of cotton. Roughly half of them also sell herbicides and
other types of seed. These patterns are discussed further in section 6.
The membership of the GVs ranges from less than 100 to more than 500, but the average is 352
members. GVs tend to be larger in Borgou and Atacora and smaller in the other departments.
Almost all the GVs have expanded since they were initially established (see Table 4.3.4). About 60
percent of the GVs had less than 100 members at the time they were formed (see Table 4.3.5 and
Table 4.3.6).
GV officials were asked about the requirements for joining the GV. The most commonly cited
requirements were paying dues (98 percent), growing cotton (73 percent), and being a resident of
the village (61 percent). Concerning the circumstances that would lead to removing a member from
the GV, unpaid debts was cited by three-quarters of the GVs. Less than one third of the GVs said
that a member could be removed if they no longer grew cotton or if they moved out of the village.
About 72 percent of the GVs said there were “other” circumstances under which a member could
be removed, presumably including theft and other illegal activities (see Tables 4.3.7 and 4.3.8).
4.3.4 Human capital
Characteristics of GV staff
The typical GV has a president, a secretary, and a treasurer, but no permanent employee.
The survey asked for the number of each type of employee that the GV had over the previous year.
Three-quarters of the GVs had one of each of the officers, but the other quarter reported more than
one. In most cases, this probably refers to a change of officers during the year. In a few cases,
however, the number of presidents was three or more, suggesting some instability in GV
management. The cases of multiple officers during the year were most common among GVs in
Zou. Permanent employees are rare, being found in just 15 percent of GVs. In Atacora, however,
nine out of the 17 GVs had permanent employees and the average number (including the zeros) was
five (see Table 4.3.9).
The education of the GV officials is a measure (though not a perfect one) of the administrative
capacity of the GV. The vast majority of GV secretaries (88 percent) have CM2 certificates, but
less than a third of the treasurers do and barely a tenth of the presidents. Overall, 43 percent of the
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