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

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Crop production is the main activity of almost 90 percent of the heads of households in the survey.<br />

This is not surprising given that the sample was designed to represent farm households of Bénin,<br />

but it is not inevitable since an agricultural household could have a head of household involved in<br />

other economic activities. The proportion of heads of household whose main activity is crop<br />

production is over 90 percent in every department except for Ouémé. <strong>In</strong> this department, crop<br />

production is the main activity of 65 percent of the heads of household, but commerce and services<br />

are the main activity of 24 percent of the heads (see Table 4.1.17).<br />

If we examine the main activity of all household members 15 years and older, rather than just the<br />

head of household, the activities are more diverse. Less than two thirds of household members (64<br />

percent) report that crop production is their main activity. <strong>In</strong> Borgou and Atacora, significant<br />

proportions of the members list housework as the most important activity, while agricultural trade<br />

is given by 11 percent of the members in Atlantique. The most diversified activities are found in<br />

Ouémé, where 29 percent say their main activity is crop production, 24 percent cite food<br />

processing, and 24 percent say non-agricultural trade and services (see Table 4.1.18).<br />

Sources of income<br />

Farm households were asked to estimate the proportion of their cash income coming from<br />

each of eight sources:<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

crop sales<br />

livestock and animal product sales<br />

non-farm enterprises<br />

agricultural wages<br />

non-agricultural wages<br />

remittances<br />

pension, gifts, and other assistance<br />

other<br />

These results should be interpreted with some caution for several reasons. First, the results refer<br />

only to cash income and exclude the value of goods produced by the household. The structure of<br />

overall income (including home consumption) would show a greater importance of agriculture.<br />

Second, the results refer to gross income so they do not take into account the cost of generating this<br />

income. The structure of net income would show a greater importance of wages (which involve<br />

41

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