Understanding the mechanisms of access and management of agricultural machinery in Benin

Abstract

Agriculture in Benin represents a strategic asset for the country's socio-economic progress, however, there is low productivity and competitiveness within the sector. This is owing to the difficulties in accessing new technologies such as agricultural machinery. This study investigated the mechanisms of access and management of agricultural machinery in Benin. The study was conducted in 13 villages across the seven Agricultural Development Poles (PDA). It used a mixed-method approach involving semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Respondents were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. A sample size of 129 farmers and 66 food processors were interviewed in the entire study area. Moreover, 26 focus group discussions were conducted; two discussions with men and women in each village. Content analysis method was adopted to analyse the data obtained from the focus group discussions while the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used to analyse the primary data collected through semi-structured interviews espousing descriptive statistics, Kendall W test, and Chi-square test. The findings indicate that the access strategies to agricultural machinery were based on social integration, farm management, and social loyalty whereas the enabling perceived factors for accessing agricultural machinery includes the donation of agricultural machinery to farmers’ organisations, the subsidisation of agricultural machinery, and the promotional offer of equipment. However, the respondents preferred the provision of services by farmers’ organisations and individual ownership as the main management mechanisms. Therefore, the study recommends the government motivate farmers through the provision of incentives, subsidies in hiring agricultural machinery, promote service centres to facilitate access to repair and maintenance of machine parts, and support extension programs to educate farmers on the benefit of using agricultural machinery in their farming activities.