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

4.3.5 Assets
In general, the only physical assets owned by groupements villageois are scales and storage
facilities(see Table v14). A large majority of GVs (84 percent) own scales. Every GV interviewed
in Borgou had a scale and at least three-quarters had a scale in Atacora and Zou. In fact, GVs in
Borgou and Atacora often owned more than one scale. In contrast, just 3 of the 20 GVs
interviewed in Ouémé and Mono had scales.
Seventy-nine percent of the GVs own storage facilities. Again, the proportion is highest in Borgou
(88 percent) and lowest in the south (65 percent). Total storage capacity ranges from 0 to 3000
tons, but about half of the GVs have capacities less than 100 tons (see Tables 4.3.15 and 4.3.16).
Given that the 85 percent of the GVs market more than 100 tons, it is clear that most GVs do not
have storage capacity equivalent to one years output. Given the staggered harvest, however, it is
not necessary to store the entire harvest at one time.
Ownership of other types of equipment was much less common. Just 7 percent of the GVs owned
light transport equipment, such as carts, and 3 percent owned processing equipment. Only one of
the 189 GVs interviewed had any form of motorized transportation equipment and none had
telephones (see Table 4.3.17).
4.3.6 Commercial activities of the GV
This section describes the commercial activities of the groupements villageois. Three types of
activities are discussed: the distribution of agricultural inputs, the marketing of crops, and the
provision of credit to members.
Distribution of inputs
Every GV in the sample supplied fertilizer and pesticides to their members, and virtually
every GV provided cotton seed. The distribution of herbicides and other seeds was less common.
Somewhat more than half (57 percent) supplied other seeds, this pattern being much more common
in Borgou and Atacora than in the southern departments. Slightly less than one half of the GVs (47
percent) provided herbicide to their members. Again, this was more common in Borgou and
Atacora (see Table 4.3.18).
122