Assessment of the Management and Performance of Farming and Cropping Systems in Senegalese Niayes and Groundnut Basin

Abstract

Senegalese agriculture is characterized by low productivity and raises many societal concerns. These questions relate to meeting the food needs of its growing population and to the development and support of family farms and surroundings for exercising agricultural activity. To carry out effective agricultural and rural activities, it is important to know the specifics of agrarian regions by grasping the structural and functional dynamics of their agriculture. The objective of this study was to establish a framework for assessing its systems, based on overall performing. The methodology was based on multivariate and sustainability analyzes on a sample of 180 millet-based farmhouses in six collectives of Niayes and Groundnut basin. The results showed six clusters of farming types and five millet-cropping systems. By a significant association with the surroundings, biophysical and social settings of the ecosystem and technical-economic conditions of the farmhouses discriminated against 30.6% of practical decisions on millet cultivation routes. Agri-technical performances in terms of impacts, resilience, or self-regulation have shown that the progress made in terms of social well-being (workloads) and externalities on society (yields), of appropriate management agri-resources (regeneration of soil fertility), and their profitability (diversification and agricultural incomes) remains questionable.