Social and economic impact of the farmers supporting project to improve farming practices and market access of pine growers in the plateau of Allada in Southern Benin

Abstract

The pineapple sector, a flagship crop of the Benin government action plan, has limitations in its compliance with international standards which affect its competitiveness. The project "Support for the improvement of agricultural practices and market access for pineapple farmers of Allada plateau in Benin south " aimed to improve the socioeconomic conditions of pineapple farmers by upgrading agricultural practices to better access to international markets. This study aimed to assess the impact of the project on agricultural practices, market access, and the socioeconomic conditions of pineapple farmers. The study focused on 50 selected affiliated to Blues Skies Benin. Data was collected using the Kobo Toolbox application. Direct and semi-direct interviews were the main technics used. The data were processed with Excel software and statistical analyses were performed with R software. A baseline study and an impact assessment were conducted to analyze progress. These results in a basic situation characterized by the poor of good agricultural practices at various levels, poor knowledge of standards (2%), poor access to international markets such as European, Asian and American, mixed membership of farmers’ organization (44%) and high link to the local market as Dantokpa (100%) and Nigeria (74%). Based on this reference, the impact assessment of the project was carried out after two years of implementation over the period from March 2023 to March 2025 and show improvements in agricultural practices through land fertilization and floral induction technic, average plant density/hectare and pest management. Significant progress was also observed in terms of membership in an organization (80%), knowledge of standards (100%) and access to international markets (100%). These various advances have impacted the economic gain of producers whose income increased from 68,650 FCFA to 168,600 FCFA. In general, the project allows producers in the pineapple chain value to open up to new approaches of production and sales while respecting international market standards with a view to improving their socio-economic conditions.