Impact Of Agricultural Market Reforms On Smallholder Farmers In ...
Impact Of Agricultural Market Reforms On Smallholder Farmers In ... Impact Of Agricultural Market Reforms On Smallholder Farmers In ...
(33 percent). Livestock income is most important in Atacora and Borgou (12-13 percent of total income), as would be expected. Although most households in Atlantique have income from animal product sales, the value of sales is modest. Non-farm enterprise income represents a relatively large share of income in Ouémé (35 percent) and Atlantique (22 percent), reflecting the large number of households involved in non-farm activities in those two departments. The contribution of agricultural wages to total income is small (4 percent or less) in every department except Atacora, where they represent 11 percent of the total. This may reflect the use of hired labor in cotton production in the north. Remittances are also more important in Atacora than in other departments. The contribution of non-agricultural wages is highest in Mono (17 percent of total income), paralleling the large percentage of households (50 percent) receiving income from this source in Mono (see Table 4.1.21). Male- and female-headed households have somewhat different sources of income. Female-headed households tend to rely more on crop sales, which account for 64 percent of their cash income compared to 56 percent among male-headed households. At the same time, female-headed households rely less on income from livestock sales, non-farm enterprises, and non-farm wages. The importance of pensions, gifts, and assistance is greater among female-headed households (5 percent of the total) than among male-headed households (1 percent). Overall, however, the composition of male- and female-headed households is fairly similar (see Table 4.1.22). The composition of income also varies across expenditure categories. The importance of crop sales rises from 48 percent in the poorest category to 60 percent in the richest. At the same time, the importance of non-farm enterprises, agricultural wages, non-agricultural wages, and remittances fall at higher levels of per capita expenditure. The contribution of these four types of income decline from 38 percent in the lowest category to 25 percent in the highest (see Table 4.1.23). The composition of income changes significantly and predictably across farm-size categories. Crop sales rise in importance from 40 percent of total income among households in the smallest farmsize category to 76 percent of total income of those with the largest farms. Non-farm enterprises, agricultural wages, and non-agricultural wages become less important as farm size increases. These three sources account for 39 percent of income in the smallest farm-size category, but they represent just 12 percent of the total in the largest farm-size category. A similar decline is observed in the importance of remittances and pension/gifts/assistance (see Table 4.1.24). Thus, the percentage importance of remittances is not any greater for poor households in Bénin, but it is significantly higher among small farms. Even more paradoxically, pensions, gifts, and assistance 43
are highest among small farms and households with relatively high income. This underscores the finding that household income is not closely correlated with farm size in Bénin. 4.1.3 Land use Land, along with labor, is one of the most important factors of production in Bénin agriculture. This section describes the quantity and quality of land cultivated by farmers and how it varies across regions and across different types of households. The topics covered in this section include farm size, land tenure and acquisition, land values, and distance from the farm to the plots. Farm size The average farm size in our sample of 899 farms was 3.3 hectares, although there is significant variation across departments. The farms tend to be larger in the more sparsely populated north and center. The average size is 5.4 hectares in Borgou and 4.8 hectares in Zou. In contrast, farms are much smaller in the densely populated south, notably in Mono and Ouémé where the average is 1.8-1.9 hectares (see Table 4.1.25 and 4.1.26). To some degree, the regional differences in farm size are offset by the fact that there is a bimodal rainfall pattern in the south, allowing two crops per year. All the farm households in Atlantique and a majority of those in Mono, Ouémé, and Zou are able to produce two crops per year. The average sown area 4 varies from 3.2 hectares in Mono to 6.7 hectares in Zou (see Table 4.1.26). In evaluating regional differences in farm size, it is also important to take into account household size. The average sown area per capita is 0.54 hectares and the variation across departments is modest, ranging from 0.38 in Ouémé to 0.76 in Zou. Male-headed households have larger farms than female-headed households (3.4 vs. 2.5 hectares). On the other hand, a larger percentage of female-headed households can produce two crops per year and female-headed households tend to be smaller. The result is that there is practically no difference between male- and female-headed households in terms of per capita farmland (see Table 4.1.27). 4 The sown area refers to the sum of the areas cultivated across the year. In the north, where the single rainy season allows just one crop per year, the sown area is equal to the farm size. 44
- Page 1 and 2: IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL MARKET REFOR
- Page 4 and 5: TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 - INTRO
- Page 6 and 7: 5.1.10 Expenditure patterns .......
- Page 8 and 9: CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Backgr
- Page 10 and 11: villageois, (GV)) was needed as the
- Page 12 and 13: CHAPTER 2: POLICY BACKGROUND FOR BE
- Page 14 and 15: 2.3 Evolution of Economic Policy 2.
- Page 16 and 17: Under pressure from the World Bank
- Page 18 and 19: anking system has been restored to
- Page 20 and 21: Fertilizer can be imported outside
- Page 22 and 23: particularly urban wage-earners. On
- Page 24 and 25: Soulé (1996) describes the evoluti
- Page 26 and 27: led to a more sustainable agricultu
- Page 28: Table 2.4 - Gross farm revenue from
- Page 31 and 32: Malawi’s economy is heavily depen
- Page 33 and 34: the reduction of its operations in
- Page 35 and 36: crops is also difficult because tob
- Page 37 and 38: Table 3.1 CROP 1982/83 1983/84 1984
- Page 40 and 41: CHAPTER 4: RESULTS OF THE BÉNIN SM
- Page 42 and 43: where W v is the weight for a house
- Page 44 and 45: heads. This suggests that some of t
- Page 46 and 47: And school attendance is much highe
- Page 48 and 49: Crop production is the main activit
- Page 52 and 53: Somewhat surprisingly, the relation
- Page 54 and 55: It is no more common among richer h
- Page 56 and 57: production, and women actually spen
- Page 58 and 59: Seed use by crop Although only 18 p
- Page 60 and 61: Looking at the results by departmen
- Page 62 and 63: Ouémé presents an unusual case: j
- Page 64 and 65: Market prices have significant effe
- Page 66 and 67: policies of SONAPRA to discourage
- Page 68 and 69: crops are responsible for this incr
- Page 70 and 71: Respondents were asked whether the
- Page 72 and 73: Female-headed households, not surpr
- Page 74 and 75: households are not considered credi
- Page 76 and 77: In almost every category of agricul
- Page 78 and 79: This discussion implies that farms
- Page 80 and 81: eturns per hectare and labor-intens
- Page 82 and 83: farm household and tends to be smal
- Page 84 and 85: Surprisingly, the value of sales as
- Page 86 and 87: Finally, proximity to an all-season
- Page 88 and 89: Changes in crop marketing In this s
- Page 90 and 91: Poor households are more likely to
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are highest among small farms and households with relatively high income. This underscores the<br />
finding that household income is not closely correlated with farm size in Bénin.<br />
4.1.3 Land use<br />
Land, along with labor, is one of the most important factors of production in Bénin agriculture.<br />
This section describes the quantity and quality of land cultivated by farmers and how it varies<br />
across regions and across different types of households. The topics covered in this section include<br />
farm size, land tenure and acquisition, land values, and distance from the farm to the plots.<br />
Farm size<br />
The average farm size in our sample of 899 farms was 3.3 hectares, although there is<br />
significant variation across departments. The farms tend to be larger in the more sparsely populated<br />
north and center. The average size is 5.4 hectares in Borgou and 4.8 hectares in Zou. <strong>In</strong> contrast,<br />
farms are much smaller in the densely populated south, notably in Mono and Ouémé where the<br />
average is 1.8-1.9 hectares (see Table 4.1.25 and 4.1.26).<br />
To some degree, the regional differences in farm size are offset by the fact that there is a bimodal<br />
rainfall pattern in the south, allowing two crops per year. All the farm households in Atlantique<br />
and a majority of those in Mono, Ouémé, and Zou are able to produce two crops per year. The<br />
average sown area 4 varies from 3.2 hectares in Mono to 6.7 hectares in Zou (see Table 4.1.26).<br />
<strong>In</strong> evaluating regional differences in farm size, it is also important to take into account household<br />
size. The average sown area per capita is 0.54 hectares and the variation across departments is<br />
modest, ranging from 0.38 in Ouémé to 0.76 in Zou.<br />
Male-headed households have larger farms than female-headed households (3.4 vs. 2.5 hectares).<br />
<strong>On</strong> the other hand, a larger percentage of female-headed households can produce two crops per year<br />
and female-headed households tend to be smaller. The result is that there is practically no<br />
difference between male- and female-headed households in terms of per capita farmland (see Table<br />
4.1.27).<br />
4<br />
The sown area refers to the sum of the areas cultivated across the year. <strong>In</strong> the north, where<br />
the single rainy season allows just one crop per year, the sown area is equal to the farm size.<br />
44
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