BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2014, N° 319 (1)
TECTONA GRANDIS / LE P OINT SUR…
Augustin K. N. Aoudji1
Anselme Adégbidi1
Jean C. Ganglo2
Philippe Lebailly3
Teak, Tectona grandis L.f., planting
in smallholders’ farming system
in southern Benin
1
Université d’Abomey-Calavi
Faculté des sciences agronomiques
Département d’économie, de socio-anthropologie
et de communication pour le développement rural
01 BP 526, Cotonou
Bénin
2
Université d’Abomey-Calavi
Faculté des sciences agronomiques
Département d’aménagement et gestion
de l’environnement
01 BP 526, Cotonou
Bénin
3
Université de Liège – Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
Unité d’économie et développement rural
Passage des Déportés 2
5030 Gembloux
Belgique
Photo 1.
A smallholder teak plantation during the first rotation.
Photo A. K. N. Aoudji.
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BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2014, N° 319 (1)
A. K. N. Aoudji, A. Adégbidi,
J. C. Ganglo, P. Lebailly
FOC US / TECTONA GRANDIS
RÉSUMÉ
ABSTRACT
RESUMEN
PLANTATIONS DE TECK, TECTONA
GRANDIS L.F., EN SYLVICULTURE
PAYSANNE AU SUD-BÉNIN
PLANTING TEAK, TECTONA GRANDIS L.F.,
IN SMALLHOLDERS' FARMING SYSTEMS
IN SOUTHERN BENIN
PLANTACIONES DE TECA, TECTONA
GRANDIS L.F., EN SILVICULTURA
CAMPESINA EN EL SUR DE BENÍN
Cette étude se place dans le cadre du système agricole pour caractériser les modes
de culture du teck, Tectona grandis L.f., sur
les petites exploitations au Sud Bénin,
avec pour objectif de cerner des orientations politiques à même de valoriser le
potentiel de la sylviculture paysanne. La
question posée est la suivante : par quels
moyens les petits agriculteurs intègrent-ils
la sylviculture sur leurs exploitations ? Une
évaluation empirique a été menée en se
basant sur un échantillon de 221 petits
exploitants sélectionnés par échantillonnage en grappes sur cinq communes du
département de l’Atlantique. Les données
ont été recueillies par le biais d’entretiens
en tête-à-tête à l’aide d’un questionnaire
standardisé. Une approche à variable multiples associant analyse typologique et
analyse en composante principale (Acp) a
permis d’établir une typologie des systèmes de plantation du teck. Cette typologie se base sur les critères suivants : objectifs de production, superficies plantées en
teck, taille de l’exploitation et contribution
de la main-d’œuvre familiale à la production de bois. L’étude a permis d’identifier
trois systèmes de plantation associés aux
différentes stratégies d’intégration d’une
activité de sylviculture paysanne. Ces trois
systèmes ont été classés selon les critères
suivants : « petite taille à main-d’œuvre
dominante » (33,48 % de l’échantillon),
« taille moyenne à capital dominant »
(37,56 %), et « grande taille à capital dominant » (28,96 %). Les exploitants se spécialisent dans la production de perches
pour satisfaire la demande régionale de
bois d’œuvre à bas prix pour la construction urbaine. Les trois raisons principales
motivant l’intégration des plantations de
teck sont, dans l’ordre, la recherche de
revenus, la satisfaction des besoins en
bois de construction des ménages et la
sécurisation des titres fonciers. Cependant,
l’ordre des deux dernières est inversé dans
le cas du système « grande taille à capital
dominant ». La sécurité foncière et l’existence d’un marché domestique sont indispensables pour réussir le développement
d’une sylviculture paysanne.
This article used the farming system
framework to characterise smallholder
plantings of teak, Tectona grandis L.f., in
southern Benin. The intention of this
study was to show the policy line best
suited to capturing the potential of smallholder forestry. The specific question
addressed was as follows: how do smallholder farmers manage to integrate tree
growing on their farms? Empirical assessments were based on a sample of 221
farmers selected through a cluster sampling procedure in five municipalities in
the Atlantic district. Data were collected
from face-to-face interviews based on a
standardised questionnaire. A multivariate approach associating cluster analysis
and Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
was used to build a typology of teak
planting systems. This was based on production objectives, the teak plantation
area, overall farm size and the contribution of family labour to timber production. The study enabled to identify three
planting systems related to different
strategies for integrating teak planting on
smallholdings. These planting systems
were classified as “small - labour dominant” (33.48% of the sample), “medium
- capital dominant” (37.56%), and “large
- capital dominant” (28.96%). The farmers specialised in pole-wood production
to supply urban demand for cheap construction timber in the region. The first
three motivations for growing teak were
to earn income, to satisfy household timber needs and to secure title to the land;
however, the ranking of the last two motivations was reversed among farmers in
the “large - capital dominant” planting
system. Secure land tenure and the existence of a domestic market outlet are
essential to successful development of
on-farm tree growing.
Este estudio se encuadra en el marco del
sistema agrícola para caracterizar las formas
de cultivo de la teca, Tectona grandis L.f., en
las pequeñas explotaciones del sur de
Benín con el objetivo de precisar las orientaciones políticas capaces de valorizar el
potencial de la silvicultura campesina. Se
planteó la siguiente cuestión: ¿qué medios
utilizan los pequeños agricultores para integrar la silvicultura en sus explotaciones? Se
realizó una evaluación empírica basándose
en una muestra de 221 pequeños productores seleccionados mediante muestreo por
conglomerados en cinco municipios del
Departamento Atlántico. Los datos se recopilaron mediante entrevistas cara a cara, utilizando un cuestionario normalizado. Un
enfoque multivariable, que asocia análisis
tipológico y análisis de componentes principales (PCA), permitió establecer una tipología de los sistemas de plantación de teca.
Dicha tipología se basa en los siguientes criterios: objetivos de producción, áreas plantadas con teca, dimensión de la explotación
y contribución de la mano de obra familiar a
la producción de madera. El estudio permitió identificar tres sistemas de plantación
asociados a las distintas estrategias de integración de una actividad de silvicultura
campesina. Estos tres sistemas se clasificaron según los siguientes criterios: “pequeña
dimensión-predominio de la mano de obra”
(33.48% de la muestra), “dimensión
media-predominio de capital” (37.56%), y
“gran dimensión-predominio de capital”
(28.96%). Los productores se especializan
en la producción de garrochas para satisfacer la demanda regional de madera barata
para la edificación urbana. Las tres principales razones que motivan la integración de
las plantaciones de teca son, por este
orden: obtener ingresos, satisfacer las necesidades de madera de los hogares y asegurar los títulos de derecho sobre la propiedad. Sin embargo, el orden de las dos últimas razones se invierte en el caso del sistema “gran dimensión-predominio de capital”. La seguridad de la tenencia de la tierra
y la existencia de un mercado doméstico
son indispensables para desarrollar con
éxito una silvicultura campesina.
Mots-clés : sylviculture paysanne, système agricole, système de plantation du
teck, motivation, Sud-Bénin.
Keywords: smallholder forestry, farming
system, teak planting system, motivation, southern Benin.
Palabras clave: silvicultura campesina,
sistema agrícola, sistema de plantación
de teca, motivación, Benín del Sur.
BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2014, N° 319 (1)
TECTONA GRANDIS / LE P OINT SUR…
Introduction
Methods
Farming system is widely viewed as a reliable approach
to support agricultural development in developing countries
(SCHIERE et al., 2000; WHITBREAD et al., 2010). A farming
system results from interactions among a number of interdependent components, where an individual farmer allocates certain quantities and qualities of factors of production to which he has access (MAHAPATRA, 1994; REIJNTJES
et al., 1995). This approach is suited to analyse socio-economic issues related to tree growing by smallholder farmers.
In recent decades, there has been a rising interest in
smallholder forestry – id est, the management of small
woodlots by smallholder farmers (HARRISON et al., 2002).
The rationale underlying policy makers’ interest in this activity is twofold. First, in the current context of deforestation in
tropical regions, smallholder forestry is expected to play a
significant role in meeting the demand for forest products,
and tackling environmental problems (RUSSELL, FRANZEL,
2004; SCHERR, 2004), hence it is promoted as an alternative to government-driven reforestation projects (PASICOLAN
et al., 1997). Second, given that shifting cultivation in
smallholder agriculture is blamed for its role in tropical
deforestation (GEIST, LAMBIN, 2002), the management of
tree plantations by farmers is viewed as a path toward the
sustainability in land use.
While on-farm tree planting is socially desirable, it is
not always attractive to farmers (NAWIR et al., 2007;
PERSSON, 2003). If governments and donors want farmers
to grow trees, they should build on the socio-economic context on which smallholder forestry can develop successfully
(FILIUS, 1997). Against this background, the following question emerges to enlighten policy makers: what are the
strategies and motives of smallholder farmers in integrating
tree growing on the farm? The farming system approach
offers the opportunity to explore the diversity of farmers’
production strategies (exempli gratia, PACINI et al., 2003;
SOMDA et al., 2005).
The objective of this article was to build on the farming
system approach to analyse smallholder teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) planting in southern Benin. Teak growing by farmers
has developed in that region during the past four decades
(photo 1). As a success story of on-farm tree growing, teak
planting in southern Benin (ATINDOGBÉ et al., 2013) provides a case study to enlighten policy makers on the underlying strategies and the motives for integrating small-scale
forestry in the farming system.
A farm represents a system including a set of subsystems such as the cropping system and the livestock farming
system (REIJNTJES et al., 1995). Scholars’ investigations on
the farming system often focus on the whole farm (VAN DE
STEEG et al., 2010), or a particular component (MOLL et al.,
2007). The level of analysis depends mostly in the
researchers’ purposes. In the current study, teak planting is
analysed as a subsystem connected to the whole farm.
Practically, this article built on a typology and characterisation of teak planting systems. It was hypothesised that there
are various teak planting systems which relate to different
strategies and motivations of integration of teak on the farm.
Components to describe the teak planting systems
A system is viewed as “an arrangement of components or
parts that act as a coherent whole that interact according to
some processes to transform inputs into outputs” (SCHIERE et
al., 1999). Four basic variables have been selected to analyse
the teak planting systems: farmers’ production objectives, the
estate of teak plantation, the farm size, and the contribution of
family labour to timber production. Regarding farmers’ production objectives, a system is usually characterised by a goal
(SCHIERE et al., 1999). That variable has further importance,
insofar as the silvicultural treatments implemented in a given
plantation depends on the production objective (production of
log, post, pole, or firewood). Besides the production objectives, the three other variables are related to the factors combined by farmers for a given output in the system (figure 1).
Since land is a scarce resource for farmers in southern Benin
(MONGBO, 2000), the acreage of teak plantation highlights the
importance of tree planting in the farming system. Farm size is
usually a key criterion in farmers’ typologies (exempli gratia,
BIDOGEZA et al., 2009; SOMDA et al., 2005). This variable illustrates the importance of farming activities as a whole. Family
labour and hired labour were the two sources of labour available to farmers. The contribution of family labour to timber production provides understanding about farmers’ strategy on this
asset and on financial capital as well, insofar as it shows the
opportunity costs of both assets. The rationale is that the use
of family labour reduces expenditures for hiring workers;
meanwhile teak timber production competes with other farming activities for this asset. About capital, the exploratory sur-
Total
farm
land
Teak
plantation
Output measured as:
Production
objectives
(Farmer)
Family
labour
- Timber production
- Value added
- Return to factors of
production
Capital
Legend
Farmer’s management decisions
Interactions
Boundary of the teak planting system
Boundary of the farming system
Figure 1.
Conceptualisation of the teak planting system
as a component of the farming system
The boundary of the teak planting system shows that only
part of household assets (land, labour and capital)
is invested in timber production. The remainder is used
in other activities on the farm.
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BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2014, N° 319 (1)
FOC US / TECTONA GRANDIS
vey revealed that only financial capital was significantly
involved in the management of smallholder teak plantations in
southern Benin. Since teak stand management is labour intensive, the contribution of family labour to timber production is
well suited to capture farmers’ strategy about capital.
Besides farmers’ socio-demographic profile across the
planting systems, the study assessed their motivations, a
key element to understand why people invest in forestry
(SALAM et al., 2005).
Sampling and data collection
Teak plantation owners were surveyed in the Atlantique
Department (figure 2), across five Communes (Allada, Kpomassè, Tori-Bossito, Toffo, and Zè) representative of the agroecological conditions under which teak planting has developed in southern Benin. No database of teak planters was
available, so respondents were selected based on cluster
sampling, as suggested by GIANNELLONI & VERNETTE (2001).
The survey randomly covered about 15% of the villages (lowest administrative subdivision), in the selected districts. All
farmers holding teak plantations and present in the villages
during the survey period were interviewed. In addition, those
living in towns were contacted by telephone 1 , and an
appointment was arranged with them to complete the survey
Figure 2.
Map of the study region
Note: The scale applies for the study area.
form. That procedure led to a success rate of 24% (28 respondents interviewed out of 116 planters concerned). The total
sample size was 221 farmers. Data collection took place
between July and September 2010. That in-depth survey had
been preceded by an exploratory study kicked-off in August
2008. Face-to-face interviews were used to collect data,
based on a standardised questionnaire. This encompassed
respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, the estimate of the farm size, and detailed data on teak silviculture.
Teak silviculture was the main item of the questionnaire. First, respondents stated the acreage of their teak
plantation and their production objective (pole, post or log).
In case of more than one plantation, the production objective was recorded separately for all plots. Second, planters
were to specify their motivations for planting teak. This consisted in ranking three motivations selected from the
exploratory study. The importance of each motivation was
rated, by using a 7 points Likert scale, ranging from 1 (not at
all important) to 7 (very important). Third, detailed data
were collected about the last production cycle completed.
Data processing and analysis
The first stage consisted in assessing the contribution of
family labour to timber production. The total labour involved
in the production was computed, and the contribution of family workers, as well. Labour
requirement is 15 man-day/ha for field preparation, and weeding (hoeing, scything-pruning), and 10 man-day/ha for planting (data
obtained from farmers). The contribution of
family labour to timber production (Pf ) was
calculated as follows: Pf =Fl /Tl; where Fl is the
quantity of labour performed by family workers, and T l is the total quantity of labour
during the production cycle.
The typology of teak planting systems
was elaborated based on hierarchical
ascending cluster analysis. Squared
Euclidean distance was used as similarity
measure, and agglomeration was based on
Ward’s method. The classificatory variables
(production objectives, teak plantation
estate, farm size, and contribution of family
labour to timber production) were standardised. Principal Components Analysis was
performed to interpret clusters’ characteristics (GLÈLÈ-KAKAÏ & KOKODÉ, 2004). Those
analyses were performed by using Minitab,
version 14. Farmers’ socio-demographic profile was described across clusters, by using
the following variables: gender, age, professional background, and education level.
Lastly, the motivations for planting teak were
analysed. At this point, the consistency of
motivation ranking among respondents was
assessed per planting system, by performing
Kendall’s test of concordance.
1
Telephone contacts were obtained from local
representatives.
BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2014, N° 319 (1)
TECTONA GRANDIS / LE P OINT SUR…
Results
Overview of smallholder teak timber production
in southern Benin
Smallholder farmers in southern Benin engaged in
teak planting from the 1970s, by learning from teak growing
in State’s plantations where they were employed in silvicultural treatments. In Benin, State’s industrial teak plantations
are targeted at the production of logs for export, with rotation ages of 40-60 years. By contrast, smallholder farmers
are specialised in the production of service wood – id est,
unprocessed timber used variously in small substructures –
to supply metropolitan centres. Farmers’ timber products
include pole (5-15 cm diameter), post (15-25 cm), and log
(diameter exceeding 25 cm); but pole (photo 2) was by far
the main production objective.
Teak is usually grown by farmers on degraded agricultural lands which otherwise would return to fallow. Besides
farmers, city dwellers (absentee farmers) are engaged in
teak planting, as a strategy to secure their land. Coppicing is
the management regime, with rotation ages of 3 to 5 years
on average. Good trees are exploited as poles, and the
remainder of the plantation is processed to firewood (photo
3). Two stages are differentiated in the management of the
plantations: the first rotation and coppicing rotations.
First rotation
The first rotation encompasses the following activities:
seedling production, pre-planting field preparation, planting and monitoring. Seedlings – stump mainly – are produced by farmers or purchased from nurserymen. Seeds are
collected free from mature trees in the village during the
fruiting period (December to February), or purchased from
residents around State’s teak plantations. Those residents
collect and store teak seeds, for sale. An estimate of 3-5 kg
of seeds is required to produce seedlings for 1 ha of plantation. Dormancy breaking is usually performed by alternating
soaking and sun drying for 1-2 weeks. Germinated seeds
are grown on the ground for 6-12 months; and then, roots
and leaves are pruned to obtain stumps.
Field preparation consists in weeding with hoes and
machetes. Seedlings are planted from May to July at 2m×2m
spacing, id est a density of 2,500 trees per hectare. In practice, the density varies slightly because pre-planting staking
out is seldom performed. Maize is grown as intercrop twice
during the first year. Beyond this age, the shadow from teak
plants hinders intercropping. During the first year, silvicultural treatments consist in weeding that benefit to both teak
and maize plants. Scything and pruning are performed during the second and the third years. Silvicultural interventions generally end after the third year.
Coppicing rotations
From the end of the first rotation onwards, the field is
cleaned after logging, and a new plantation develops from
the stumps (photo 4). At this stage of the plantation,
maize intercrop is hindered by the fast growth of the coppiced stems. There are as many as five stems per stump,
Photo 2.
Teak poles freshly harvested from a smallholder plantation.
Photo A. K. N. Aoudji.
Photo 3.
Firewood, a by-product obtained after the exploitation
of quality timber as poles.
Photo A. K. N. Aoudji.
but only one or two develop in marketable pole. Scything
coupled with pruning and “thinning” are performed
during the second year. Silvicultural treatments usually
end after the second year.
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FOC US / TECTONA GRANDIS
Differentiation
of teak planting systems
2
Teak planters
Figure 3.
Dendrogram showing the clusters identified
from the hierarchical ascending classification.
The broken line shows the cluster selection used. 1, 2,
and 3, represent the numbering of the clusters.
T F 2 0
T F 4 0
T F 4 3
A L 4 1
Z E 3 5
Z E 3 6
A L 4 2
K P 1
K P 1 3
T F 4 1
T F 5
T F 3 8
T F 2 3
T F 6 1
A L 5 1
T F 1 2
T B 4 0
Z E 1 1
K P 2
K P 1 6
T F 3 4
Z E 1 0
T F 6 2
K P 1 7
K P 1 8
T B 4 4
T B 5 5
T B 9
T F 1 4
T F 1 8
Z E 3 2
3
4
1
5
3
4
7
5
6
6
3
8
0
6
7
9
1
1
4
1
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7
3
1
5
6
9
3
7
8
3
2
1
5
4
0
4
2
4
6
5
4
1
6
0
6
2
9
1
9
4
T F
A L 3
A L 4
A L 2
A L 3
Z E 5
A L 3
A L 4
K P 1
K P 2
Z E
T B 1
Z E
K P
T B 1
T B 3
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A L 3
Z E 4
K P 1
T F 2
T F 3
Z E 5
T
A
T
K
3
T B 5
T B 5
Z E 6
Z E 4
K P
T B 2
T B 4
K P 1
T B 2
K P
T B 4
T F 4
T B 3
T F 1
T B
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Z E 5
T B 5
A L
T F 1
A L 3
T F 2
A L 3
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A L 2
A L 2
A L 2
T F
A
T
T
Z
A
Z E 1 5
Z E 1 6
T F 2 4
T B 1 7
A L 2 0
Z E 6
A L 4 9
T F 5 2
T B 4 5
T F 3 2
Z E 2 4
T B 3
Z E 4 3
T F 2 8
T B 2 2
T B 4 8
T B 1
T F 1 0
T B 5 2
T B 4
T B 3 1
T F 1 9
A L 2 4
T F 5 7
Z E 5 6
Z E 3 4
K P 8
K P 2 0
T B 2
T F 2 5
Z E 3 0
T F 5 1
T B 5
T F 5 8
T B 8
T B 2 0
T B 2 1
T B 2 3
T
Z
T
Z
A
Z
Z
T
Z
A
Z
4
6
9
5
2
7
3
5
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7
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9
2
3
9
7
7
9
8
8
5
3
8
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6
1
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9
4
8
5
7
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2
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9
6
E 3 1
F 1 3
E 3 9
L 3 7
E 1 4
A L 2
F 5 3
E 6 0
F 4 4
E 2 3
L 1 0
E 5 9
B 1 0
L 1 9
B 1 5
P 2 1
A L 6
L 4 4
F 2 2
F 3 0
E 1 2
A L 8
L 1 5
T F
T F 2
Z E
K P
K P 1
Z E 5
Z E 1
Z E 2
T F 4
Z E
Z E
A L
Z E 5
T F 5
T B 3
Z E 3
T B 3
A L 2
Z E 4
T B 1
Z E 5
A L 2
T F 5
T B 1
T B 1
T B 2
T B
T B 4
Z E 2
T F
T F 2
Z E 4
T B 3
A L 3
A L 4
T F 3
Z E 5
T B 3
T F 4
T F
T B 1 4
A L 9
Z E 3
Z E 1
Z E 2 8
A L 1 4
A L 1 7
T B 1 2
T B 2 7
A L 1 1
T F 8
Z E 1 7
A L 3 2
A L 5 0
4
3
9
T F 6
T B 3
A L 3
A L 4
A L 2
Z E
T F 5
T F 5
T B 3
T F 3
T F 4
Z E 4
A L
A L 1
T F 1
8
1
8
4
0
7
7
5
6
5
2
5
1
A L 1
Z E 3 7
Z E 3 8
A L 3
A L 1 6
A L 1 3
Z E 4 0
K P 1 0
A L 2 3
0,00
246,15
Distance
492,30
738,44
Photo 4.
A smallholder teak plantation at the beginning
of the coppicing rotation
Photo A. K. N. Aoudji.
Three clusters of teak planters were selected
from the dendrogram of the hierarchical ascending
classification (figure 3).
Those clusters were interpreted as follows,
based on Principal Components Analysis (PCA).
The eigenvalue analysis of correlation matrix
(annex I) showed that the first two components
explained 81.4% of the variability. Those two
components could therefore be used to interpret
adequately the outcome of the PCA. The correlations between the principal components (PC)
and the original variables (annex II) showed that
the first component (PC1) was positively correlated with the acreage of teak plantation, and
the production objectives. On the other hand,
the second component (PC2) was positively correlated with the farm size, and the contribution
of family labour to timber production.
The factorial plan of the first two principal
components (figure 4) is interpreted hereunder,
based on the correlations between principal
components (PC) and original variables (Annex
II). Cluster 1 is associated with a low estate of
teak plantation and a limited range of production
objectives, with respect to PC1; and a small farm
size and a low contribution of family labour to
timber production, with respect to PC2. Cluster 2
is associated with a small acreage of teak plantation and a limited range of production objectives,
with respect to PC1; and a large farm size and a
high contribution of family labour to timber production, with respect to PC2. Cluster 3 is associated with a large estate of teak plantation, and a
wide range of production objectives, with respect
to PC1. This cluster shows variability in both the
farm size and the contribution of family labour to
timber production, with respect to PC2. However,
the contribution of family labour to timber production is generally low, while the farm size is
generally large.
The characteristics of clusters are summarised in table I. Clusters 1 and 2 were characterised by a single production objective which
was pole, while cluster 3 had several production
objectives (post or log, besides pole). Estates of
teak plantation were small, and averaged less
than 1 hectare within clusters 1 and 2. Farmers
in cluster 3 had much larger estate of teak plantation, as compared to cluster 1 (3 times higher)
and cluster 2 (9 times higher). Furthermore, they
had a larger farm size, and affected a higher percentage of their land to teak planting (two fifth);
this figure was one quarter and one tenth for
clusters 1 and 2, respectively. Farmers in cluster
2 were using almost exclusively family labour to
BOIS ET FORÊTS DES TROPIQUES, 2014, N° 319 (1)
TECTONA GRANDIS / LE P OINT SUR…
Annex I.
Eigen analysis of the correlation matrix.
Parameters
PC1
PC2
PC3
PC4
Eigenvalue
Proportion
Cumulative
2.3918
0.598
0.598
0.8654
0.216
0.814
0.4931
0.123
0.938
0.2498
0.062
1.000
Annex II.
Correlation between principal components (PC) and original variables.
Variables
PC1
PC2
PC3
PC4
Production objectives
Teak plantation estate
Farm size
Contribution of family
labour to the production
0.558
0.584
0.421
-0.099
0.086
0.700
0.568
0.250
-0.530
-0.598
0.768
-0.226
-0.413
0.702
0.578
0.048
4
Cluster
1
2
3
Second Component (21.6%)
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
0,0
2,5
5,0
First Component (59.8%)
Figure 4.
Score plot for principal components 1 and 2 from PCA.
Clusters from the hierarchical ascending classification are
shown as triangles (cluster 1), squares (cluster 2), and dots
(cluster 3).
7,5
produce timber, a marked difference as compared to the farmers in clusters 1 and 3 who
manage their teak plantations based on
financial capital (remuneration of hired
labour). Given their respective characteristics (table I), clusters 1, 2, and 3 have been
typified, and will be further referred to as
“medium - capital dominant” planting system, “small - labour dominant” planting system, and “large - capital dominant” planting
system, representing 37.56%, 33.48%, and
28.96% of the sample, respectively.
Characterisation of teak planting systems
Farmers’ socio-demographic profile
Farmers’ socio-demographic characteristics across teak planting systems are presented in table II. Gender balance was overwhelmingly dominated by men. Regarding
age, planters were old, but no consistent differences were found across systems (ANOVA;
p = 0.1). Education level distribution varied
across planting systems ( 2 = 13.53; p =
0.035). Planters were illiterate in majority,
and a small proportion had university
degree. The “large - capital dominant” system diverged from the two other systems,
with a lower proportion of illiterate people,
and a higher proportion of planters with university degree. The majority of planters in all
clusters were farmers, but the sample also
included craftsmen, traders, employees and
retired people. Professional background distribution did not vary across the planting systems (2 = 4.97; p = 0.29).
Motivations for planting teak
Farmers were driven mainly by three
motivations when planting teak: income
seeking, satisfaction of household timber
needs, and securing land ownership (table
III). Kendall’s test of concordance showed a
high level of agreement among farmers
about the ranking of motivations, whichever
the planting system considered (table IV).
Revenue seeking was the first most important motivation, with also a high rating
within all systems (table III). The importance
of the satisfaction of household timber
needs and the enforcement of ownership on
land varied across planting systems. These
two elements were respectively the second
and the third motivations in the “smalllabour dominant” and the “medium - capital
dominant” systems; but the inverse ranking
was found in the “large - capital dominant”
system (table III).
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FOC US / TECTONA GRANDIS
Table I.
Characteristics of the teak planting systems identified.
Variables
Production objectives*
Teak plantation estate (ha)
Farm size (ha)
Percentage of farm planted with teak (%)
Contribution of family labour to the production ** (%)
Cluster 1 (N = 83)
Clusters
Cluster 2 (N = 74)
Cluster 3 (N = 64)
1 (Pole only)
0.93 a***
4.12 a
28.04 a
22 a
1 (Pole only)
0.33 b
5.04 a
11.53 b
98 b
2-3 (Pole, post and/or log)
3.13 c
8.15 b
43.57 a
14 c
*
‘Production objectives’ is the number of production objectives.
Proportion of labour performed by family workers in the total, during the production cycle.
*** Figures followed by the same letter for a given item are not significantly different at 5% level (ANOVA and Least Significant Difference test).
**
Table II.
Farmers’ socio-demographic characteristics across the teak planting systems.
Socio-demographic characteristics
‘Small - labour
dominant’ (N=74)
Teak planting systems
‘Medium - capital
dominant’ (N=83)
‘Large - capital
dominant’ (N=64)
94.6
5.4
52.6±3.3
98.8
1.2
51.2±2.5
98.4
1.6
54.1±2.9
Education (%)*
No schooling
Primary
Secondary
University
56.8
27.0
16.2
0.0
53.0
24.1
16.9
6.0
39.1
29.7
17.2
14.1
Principal activity (%)
Farmers
Craftsmen and traders
Employee and retired people
68.9
24.3
6.8
56.6
30.1
13.3
59.4
23.4
17.2
Gender (%)
Male
Female
Age (years)
* Variable showing a significant variation of frequency distribution according to planting systems (Chi-Square test; p<0.05).
Table III.
Ranking of motivations for planting teak across the teak planting systems.
Motivation
Get income
Meet household’s timber need
Enforce ownership on land
‘Small - labour
dominant’ (N=74)
Teak planting systems
‘Medium - capital
dominant’ (N=83)
‘Large - capital
dominant’ (N=64)
1 (6.11)
2 (4.49)
3 (4.08)
1 (6.40)
2 (4.34)
3 (3.84)
1 (6.44)
3 (3.92)
2 (4.53)
Note: The bracketed figures are the average rating on a 7 points Likert scale.
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TECTONA GRANDIS / LE P OINT SUR…
Table IV.
Results of Kendall’s test of concordance on motivation ranking across the teak planting systems.
Parameters
N
Kendall’s Wa
Chi-Square
df
Asymp. Sig.
a
‘Small - labour dominant’
Teak planting systems
‘Medium - capital dominant’
‘Large - capital dominant’
74
0.573
84.8
2
0.000
83
0.760
126.2
2
0.000
64
0.804
102.9
2
0.000
Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (0 = no agreement, 1 = total agreement).
Discussion
Teak planting systems
The study showed the existence of various teak planting systems related to different strategies of integration of
teak on the farm, as hypothesised. Differentiation was
found regarding the use of all production factors (land,
labour, and financial capital). According to the relative
importance of teak planting on the farm, farmers can be typified as small planters for the “small - labour dominant” system, medium planters for the “medium - capital dominant”
system, and large planters for the “large - capital dominant”
system. In general, teak plantation estates were relatively
low, except in the “large - capital dominant” system; but
this is not surprising because even the farm size is low in
Benin and averaged 1.7 ha per farm household (MAEP,
2007). Regarding plantation estate, the differentiation of
farmers in the “large - capital dominant” planting system, as
compared to the two other planting systems, stems from
their larger land asset. This also explains why a wider proportion of their farm land is planted with teak. These results
are consistent with the fact that the availability of land is a
constraint to tree planting by smallholder farmers (JOHNSON, DELGADO, 2003; NDUWAMUNGU et al., 2004).
Pole was planters’ main production objective across all
clusters. The wealthier status of farmers in the “large - capital dominant” planting system might explain their partial
involvement in the production of post and small log that
require longer rotations (10 to 25 years). Teak is a high value
tropical species well known for the production of logs for
export (PANDEY, BROWN, 2000). The management of teak to
produce pole is atypical. However, it does not represent a
single pattern of southern Benin, insofar as teak planting for
the production of pole has also developed in neighbour
Togo (LOUIS et al., 2003) and Cote d’Ivoire (MALDONADO,
LOUPPE, 1999). Farmers justified their interest in pole production by the need of getting their return in the short term.
The smallholder teak planting systems appear as a responsive adaptation to valorise degraded lands and meet the
urban demand for cheap timber: house construction, small
sheds, fencing, etc. A market study revealed that all social
classes used to buy farm-grown teak poles in southern
Benin (AOUDJI et al., 2011). The marketing system, with a
network of traders, brokers and local middlemen, enables to
connect farmers to urban markets. The practical lesson here
is that policy intended to promote on-farm tree plantation
should build on the opportunities offered by domestic markets, a view previously defended by SCHERR (2004).
Characterisation of teak planting systems
Farmers’ socio-demographic profile
City dwellers (absentee planters) were underrepresented in the sample; but the study provides an overview of
their involvement in teak planting. Female-headed households were marginally engaged in timber production, a situation taking roots from the sociological ground. Land ownership is a prerequisite to tree growing; but women’s land
asset is generally limited, because they are often excluded
from inheritance in the patriarchal system prevailing in
southern Benin. Though other professional backgrounds
(craftsmen, traders, employees, and retired people) were
involved in teak planting, farmers represented the majority
of planters across the planting systems. This means that
policy support to this activity could have a positive impact
on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, the majority of
poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. The predominance of farmers
justifies why the concept “smallholder forestry” was used
for this study to typify teak planting in southern Benin,
drawing on HARRISON et al. (2002).
Motivations for planting teak
Revenue seeking as a motivation for tree growing is not
a typical pattern of farmers in southern Benin, insofar as
similar results were found in Asia (MALLA, 2000; SALAM et
al., 2005). These findings are consistent with the positive
influence of product price on farmers’ decision to establish
tree plantations (SHIVELY, 1999; ZHANG, OWIREDU, 2007).
As implication, policy relying on smallholder forestry to satisfy the demand for forest products and environmental service should target a profitable return to farmers, to make this
activity attractive.
The present study findings tally with previous results,
regarding the importance of the satisfaction of household
timber needs as a key factor on farmers’ decisions on tree
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FOC US / TECTONA GRANDIS
management (MALLA, 2000). This stems from the fact that
the possibility to harvest trees from the wild has vanished,
as the consequence of deforestation. Accordingly, tree
growing on the farm has become a mean to secure construction timber and firewood supplies.
The enforcement of ownership on land had a higher
importance in the “large - capital dominant” planting system.
This might originate from the larger land asset of those farmers, as compared to the two other categories. Following a traditional rule in southern Benin, the cultivation of perennial
crops is not permitted on hired lands. Therefore, growing a
perennial crop (exempli gratia, oil palm, teak) on a plot is an
indirect mean to show one’s ownership on that land. In reality, the importance of this motivation might be higher than
reported here. Respondents who are aware of the ethic
aspect related to land appropriation might have deliberately
given a lower rating there, to not appear as immoral. Other
studies have brought evidence of the establishment of perennial crops, especially teak plantations, as a land appropriation strategy in West Africa (LOUIS et al., 2003; MALDONADO,
LOUPPE, 1999). In the French-speaking countries of West
Africa, this rule was tacitly in force since the colonial period
(LOUIS et al., 2003). As a practical policy lesson, the results
confirm that security in land tenure is essential to the successful development of on-farm tree plantations.
Overall, the findings on farmers’ motivations showed
that the management of timber stand is a multipurpose
activity. Despite the importance of land tenure to farmer
when establishing plantations (see similar result in ZHANG,
OWIREDU, 2007), they were more interested in revenue
seeking. Therefore on-farm timber growing falls in the general framework of market-oriented agriculture. This is interesting to policy makers owing to the fact that market-oriented production has become the backbone of
development and poverty alleviation strategies (JAMA,
PIZARRO, 2008). It is argued that the involvement of small
farmers into markets can result in higher productivity and
income growth, which in turn can boost food security,
poverty reduction efforts, and the overall economic growth
(MARKELOVA, MWANGI, 2010).
Conclusions
The focal target of this article was to draw on the farming system approach to characterise the integration of teak
planting on the farm in southern Benin, and its potential to
improve livelihoods. The study led to the identification of
three planting systems related to different strategies of integration of teak on the farm: “small - labour dominant”,
“medium - capital dominant”, and “large - capital dominant” systems. Farmers were specialised in the production
of pole which enabled them to valorise degraded lands, and
take advantage of the urban demand for cheap timber. It
appeared that the promotion of on-farm tree growing should
build on the opportunities offered by domestic markets.
Farmers across the planting systems had distinctive
features with respect to the motivations for planting teak,
but differences in socio-demographic profiles were less
marked. Policy relying on smallholder forestry for the provision of forest products and environmental service should
target the profitability of timber production to keep the
farmers motivated, because revenue seeking was a strong
motivation for them. Other motivations for planting teak
were the satisfaction of household’s timber needs, and the
enforcement of ownership on land, especially among the
large planters. Farmers were more or less concerned by the
security in their land, when settling teak plantations.
Therefore, the issue of land tenure must receive a careful
attention in small-scale forestry development programmes.
Acknowledgement
This study was carried out in the framework of the “Projet
Interuniversitaire Ciblé: Contribution au développement
d’une filière du teck au départ des forêts privées du SudBénin (département Atlantique)”. The Belgian “Commission
Universitaire pour le Développement (CUD)” is gratefully
acknowledged for funding the project.
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