Etude Socio-Économique De L’exploitation Des Plantes Fourragères Dans Le District d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

Forage trading in the city of Abidjan is an activity not known by the population. The objective of the study was to determine the importance of the collection of forage plants in the socio-economic life of the actors of the sector. Prospects and semi-structured interviews were conducted, and we determined the floristic composition of forages sold in the market. The results of the survey show that the forage sold by the farmers is taken free of charge in the city of Abidjan. The unit price (UP) of a bundle of forage is on an average of 50 FCFA when there are few animals on the market, and 100 FCFA or 200 FCFA in case of high affluence such as during holidays. Thus, the estimated average financial income per day of an operator during periods of low affluence of animals in the markets is 875 F CFA. On an average, it is 26250 FCFA per month and 3350 FCFA per day. Also, there is an estimated average of 100 400 FCFA in periods of abundance of animals for sale in the market. The results of investigations showed that forages species sold are composed of species such as Chloris pilosa Schumach. (Poaceae), Panicum maximum Jacq (Poaceae), Brachiaria lata (Schumach.) Hub (Poaceae), Arachis hypogea L. (Fabaceae), and Phaseolus vulgaris L (Fabaceae). In addition to being food reserves, these activities provide work for those who exploit them. It allows them to meet their daily needs and also compensate for the lack of jobs.