| Resume |
The immediate consequences of the 2009 reform of the cotton sector in Benin are assessed from
the farmers’ perspective. Using a policy arrangements approach, we analyse how farmers
experienced the transformations brought about by the reform and how it influenced their
day-to-day activities. The new farmer cooperatives established after the reform were trusted
by farmers. Many farmers returned to the sector, increasing cotton output. Nevertheless,
productivity remained low, around 900 kg/ha, probably because the reform addressed
mainly institutional constraints. Technical constraints relating to varietal choice, soil fertility
improvement, and pest management were neglected. The policy arrangements emerging
from the reform still generate discussion, in particular about the way actors and
coalitions are organized. The top-down approach of the reform process has limitations for
problem-solving, especially where actors’ interests collide. The adjustments made under the
reform with regard to farmer-based organizations and actors from public services, the
caution solidaire, and farmers’ supervision proved inappropriate for solving the institutional
problems posed at the nodes of actors and coalitions, resources, discourses, and institutions,
thereby further undermining the cotton sector. A mix of technological and institutional
reforms might offer a more effective option for the future. |