Entre abstraction et réalité dans la mise en œuvre du conseil agricole en Afrique subsaharienne: leçons apprises des expériences du département de l’Atlantique au Bénin

Abstract

Agricultural advisory, a learning and decision-making approach, is an important part of the agricultural policies in Sub-saharan Africa. This study aims to analyse the agricultural advisory service provided by comparing the organizational framework and implementation strategies with the realities observed in practice. Using simple random sampling method, 6 groups of 30 farmers from 6 different villages and 30 agricultural advisers were selected in the south of Benin, “Atlantique” department. Data were collected through focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using an analytical framework integrating the institutional and social environment as well as the various modalities used for the provision of agricultural advice. Results highlighted four main categories of factors limiting farmers’ access to agricultural advisory service: (i) agricultural advisory service-oriented towards large farms; (ii) individualized and overly specialized advice; (iii) limited number and unskilled agricultural advisers; and (iv) a “gendarme” monitoring and evaluation system little oriented towards the quality of the advice. This critical analysis of the implementation of the agricultural advice service offers some guidelines for strengthening agricultural innovation systems.