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

eturns per hectare and labor-intensivity make vegetables an attractive option for small
farmers with the necessary skills and market access.
Third, the share of land allocated to cotton and “other crops” rises from 9 percent in the
smallest farm-size category to 32 percent in the largest. “Other crops” includes fruit trees,
oilseeds, cashew, and a number of crops grown primarily for the market.
In summary, small farms allocate most of their land to staple foods with some vegetable
production, while large farms devote an increasing share of the total area to cotton and other nonhorticultural
cash crops (see Table 4.1.108).
4.1.7 Agricultural marketing and storage
International experience indicates that rural development is associated with three trends: rising
productivity in agricultural production, the movement of farmers from subsistence production to
commercial production, and the rising share of non-farm income in rural areas. Thus, it is
important to understand the patterns of agricultural marketing and the constraints that prevent
farmers from becoming further integrated with the national and international economy. Although
production data is available from official statistics, information on agricultural marketing patterns is
generally only available from agricultural household surveys such as the IFPRI-LARES Small
Farmer Survey.
This section describes three aspects of agricultural marketing in Bénin. First, it describes the
patterns of crop sales and how marketed surplus varies by crop and across household types.
Second, it examines the specifics of the sale of agricultural commodities, including the timing, the
types of buyers, and the location of the transactions. Finally, it explores the perceptions of Bénin
farmers regarding changes in agricultural marketing as a result of economic reforms over the past
eight years.
Marketed surplus
As described elsewhere in this report, farmers in Bénin operate on a relatively small scale
(3.3 hectares on average), with little mechanization (less than 10 percent use animal traction).
Furthermore, the average per capita expenditure of farm households is 105 thousand CFA,
equivalent to US$ 175. From this information, one might assume that the agricultural sector in
73