Centre InterFacultaire pour la Recherche en Environnement et Développement Durable, Institut de Géographie, Aménagement du Territoire et Environnement (CIFRED, IGATE), Benin
The mismatch between the needs and availability of socio-community infrastructure in urban and rural areas is a complex problem that requires urgent attention. This study aims to determine the disparities between the needs and availability of socio-community infrastructure in urban and rural areas in the commune of Djougou. To do this, 308 heads of household were interviewed on this issue in rural and urban areas. The data collected are qualitative data. The methods used are descriptive statistics and Chi2 dependency tests. The results of this study highlight significant differences between the perceptions of heads of household between urban and rural areas, particularly with regard to knowledge of land regulations (p-value = 9.628e-07), the distribution of infrastructure (p-value = 3.856e-08) and their impact on land value (p-value = 1.005e-10). These disparities highlight the importance of taking into account the specific perceptions of populations when developing policies and infrastructure projects, in order to better meet the needs and expectations of each environment.
The upstream side of the large watersheds of Benin is undergoing accelerated degradation phenomena, due to human pressure. The objective of this study is to quantify the loss of cultivable soil in the Affon-Donga watershed. The methodological approach adopted was to use the RUSLE model to quantify soil loss. Raster data such as SoilGrids images from ISRIC, elevation images from ASTER GDEM, Landsat OLI images, WoldClim data as well as terrain data were used to prepare the five factors of the model. The results obtained show that the soil loss varies between 0 and 21,598.63 t / ha / year in the Affon-Donga watershed. The loss values of between 10 and 500 t / ha / year occupy 40.54% of the basin. The colossal losses which exceed 500 t / ha / year and go up to 21,598.62 t / ha / year are dispersed over 3.95% of the basin. The average soil loss is 1443.81 t / ha / year and the rate of erosion or the amount of soil moved generally from upstream to downstream is 633,562,753.72 t / year. As the long-term result of such an ecosystem dynamic, cultivable spaces will become scarce while the processes of filling and meandering of downstream rivers will be amplified.