Teak, Tectona grandis L.f., planting in smallholders’ farming system in southern Benin.

Abstract

This article used the farming system framework to characterise smallholder teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) planting in southern Benin. It was intended to highlight the policy line suited to capture the potential of smallholder forestry. The specific question addressed was as follows: how do smallholder farmers manage to integrate tree growing on the farm? Empirical assessments were based on a sample of 221 farmers selected through a cluster sampling procedure in five Communes of the Atlantique Department. Data were collected based on face-to-face interviews, with a standardised questionnaire. A multivariate approach associating cluster analysis and Principal Component Analysis was used to build a typology of teak planting systems. This was based on the production objectives, the estate of teak plantation, the farm size, and the contribution of family labour to timber production. The study led to the identification of three planting systems related to various strategies of integration of teak on the farm. These planting systems were typified as ‘small - labour dominant’ (33.48% of the sample), ‘medium - capital dominant’ (37.56%), and ‘large - capital dominant’ (28.96%). Farmers were specialised in the production of pole to meet the urban demand for cheap construction timber in the region. The first three motivations for growing teak included revenue seeking, satisfaction of household timber needs, and enforcement of ownership on land; but the ranking of the last two motivations was interchanged among farmers in the ‘large - capital dominant’ planting system. Security in land tenure and the existence of a domestic outlet are essential to successful development of on-farm tree growing.