Sustainability Analysis in Agricultural Policies in Benin

Abstract

Agriculture in Benin is confronted with new problems which require more sustainable and resilient strategies for its development. The question of its sustainability is thus at the center of agricultural policies. This study analyzed how issues of sustainability of farming systems are taken into account in argicultural policies frameworks.  An analysis and review of the four main agricultural policy documents adopted over the last thirty years being completed to assess the measures taken to ensure the sustainability of farms. It emerges that agricultural policies do not integrate into their framework the pillars on which the development of sustainable agriculture is based. However, in their implementation, they have been strongly oriented towards the pursuit of economic and social objectives, which is reflected in the will to improve the productivity and attractiveness of the agricultural sector. However, the lack of long-term strategies, the lack of coherence between policies and the dependence on the international political context has not allowed interventions in the agricultural sector to be placed in a sustainable perspective.