Biotechnologie, Agronomie, Société et Environnement (Jan 2003)
Analyse-diagnostic du système agraire de la région d'Ahépé, au sud du Togo
Abstract
Analysis of the agricultural system of the region of Ahépé, south Togo. The agricultural system of the region of Ahépé, 80 km north of Lomé, Togo, was studied. Eighteen historical surveys and 44 farm surveys were carried out. We distinguished four main stages in the evolution of the farming system in the region. 1. Pioneer farming based on burning, with fallow land lasting more than 20 years. 2. When access to land starts to decrease, and oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) starts being the main source of revenue, the system becomes fallow-land with oil palm based. Such a system necessitates an available surface at least three times larger than the cultivated area. 3. Due to lack of available land, the third system is based on pruning and burning of oil palm fallow lands with alternative cultivation and fallow land every three years. 4. Finally, after cultivated land becomes really short, rural depopulation, sale of labour force, and work intensification per unit of surface and of capital areobserved. In the actual farming system, we distinguished 5 different categories of farms. The ""survival threshold"" (the minimal amount of resources needed), estimated for a family with two adults and three children, is F CFA 79,000 per working adult and per year, of which F CFA 47,000 in cash (to buy everything that cannot be produced on farm). The first category is a food-producing system on short time fallow-land with palm trees. With farms smaller than 1 ha, food crops are dominant (80% of the agricultural revenue) and the total agricultural revenue per working adult is less than F CFA 200,000 per year. The second category is a food-producing system on short time fallow-land with palm trees and cash crops. The annual agricultural revenue per working adult varies from F CFA 200,000 to 1,600,000. In the third category, cash crops are dominant (mainly cotton) but the farms are in difficult financial conditions. The surfaces in this system vary between 1.1 and 1.5 ha. Due to problems in the management of the cultivation of cotton, the revenue in cash is rather low (less than F CFA 100,000 per working adult and per year), and the total agricultural revenue varies between F CFA 200,000 and 300,000 per working adult and per year, with more than 50% due to food crops. The fourth category gathers farms with larger surfaces (1.5 to 2.6 ha) whose owners are from the Kabyé ethnic group. The system is based on the cultivation of cotton, with a better organisation than in the previous one, and food crops. The cultivation of teak is also widely spread in this system, which generates an agricultural revenue per working adult of F CFA 400,000 to 800,000 per year. The last category of farms (surfaces up to 6 ha) is based on food crops on long-time fallow lands with palm trees, high value cash crops and teak. The cash revenue is often more than half of the total agricultural revenue, which can reach up to F CFA 2,000,000 in this category. The farms in the first and third categories are not viable on the long term. With inputs in training of the farmers and micro financing, these systems could evolve towards the second type of farms. In addition, the management in farms of the second, fourth and fifth categories could be improved through access to training and a better use of land.
