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

Among those seeing improvement, the main reasons given were better crop prices, changes in
the price or availability of food, and increased off-farm income.
Among those reporting deterioration, the main reasons were family health, poor weather, and
declining soil fertility.
Because of their key role in distributing inputs and marketing cotton in Benin, the project carried out a
survey of village-level farmer organizations called groupements villageois. The IFPRI-LARES Survey of
Groupements Villageois (GVs) interviewed a random sample of 189 GVs involved in cotton marketing.
The main results are summarized below:
General characteristics of GVs
One quarter of the GVs were formed in the early 1970s and another quarter in the early
1990s.
The average GV has 350 members, more in Borgou and Atacora and fewer elsewhere.
Almost all GVs have increased signficantly in membership, fertilizer use, and cotton output.
Most GVs have a president, a secretary, a treasurer, with no other permanent employees.
The secretaries have an average of nine years experience with the GV and four years as
secretary. Most (88 percent) have a CM2 certificate.
GVs own scales and storage facility but rarely any other equipment.
Commercial activities and budget
All GVs supply fertilizer on credit, distribute cotton seed, and market cotton. Only some
supply herbicide/pesticide and provide cash credit to members.
The GVs report high satisfaction with suppliers of fertilizer and seed, but general
dissatisfaction with suppliers of pesticides.
A number of GVs report much higher fertilizer use than would be expected given the cotton
area of their members.
Cotton marketing is the main source of income, accounting for 80 percent of the total.
Member dues are less important, except in Atacora.
The largest expenditure items are schools, storage, and travel costs.
329