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

Seed use by crop Although only 18 percent of all seed used is purchased, for some crops
farrmers rely heavily on purchased seed. For example, farmers purchase three-quarters of their
seed requirements for “other vegetables” and a majority (57 percent) of their cowpea seeds. On the
other hand, less than 10 percent of the yam, sorghum/millet, and piment seed is purchased. Maize
and manioc are in an intermediate position, with purchases meeting 13 and 18 percent, respectively,
of the seed requirements of each crop. In the case of cotton, SONAPRA supplies cotton seed
without charge to GVs for distribution to farmers (see Table 4.1.40).
Seed use by household type The proportion of seed that is bought or received free is
higher in the south than in the north. For example, over half the seed used in Atlantique and about
one-third of the seed in Ouémé and Mono is bought or received free. In contrast, the corresponding
figures for Atacora and Borgou are 9 and 10 percent. Although a relatively high proportion of seed
is purchased in Atlantique, the percentage of farm households that buy seed is small, just 26
percent. In contrast, over 70 percent of the farmers in Ouémé and Mono buy seed (see Table
4.1.41).
The patterns of seed use between male- and female-headed households present a mixed picture.
Male-headed households are somewhat more likely to buy seed, but female-headed households are
more likely to obtain free seed. Female-headed households rely on purchased and free seed for a
larger share of their total seed requirements (see Table 4.1.42).
Similarly, the patterns of seed use across expenditure categories is somewhat contradictory. On the
one hand, the proportion of household buying seed is relatively stable, being in the range of 53-62
percent for all groups. On the other, the share of total seed that is purchased or received free rises
from 15-17 percent in the first two expenditure categories to 44 percent in the richest category (see
Table 4.1.43).
It is sometimes suggested that cash constraints keep farmers from purchasing high-yielding
varieties of seed. If this is true, cotton farmers should be more likely to use purchased seed than
other farmers. In fact, the survey results indicate that cotton growers are no more likely to buy seed
than other farmers. For example, maize producers that also grow cotton are no more likely to buy
maize seed than maize producers that do not grow cotton (see Table 4.1.44). This suggest that
annual cash revenue is not a major constraint on input demand, although cash availability at the
time of planting may be.
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