Although Agricultural productivity is often associated with food security, the causal links between agricultural productivity and food security ar less explored. The objective of this study is to test the approach of orthodox economists that agricultural productivity reduces food insecurity. The data used are collected from 240 agricultural households in the communes of Kérou and Boukombé in the departement of Atacora in Benin, chosen by the randomy method, where at least eight (08) out of ten (10) agricultural households are food insecurity. The theoretical basis of this study is focused on the causal relationships between agricultural productivity and food security. The estimation methods are done using the ordinary logit regression model. The results showed that the pathway to food insecurity is partly related to the number of children, the informal agricultural contract, the borrowing of food crops and the sale of agricultural assets. In addition to the determinants of food insecurity, the agricultural productivity reduces household food insecurity by 2.2601 at p-value of 1%. The policy of increasing agricultural productivity would be effective in achieving food security for Benin’s farming household by 2030. The orthodox versus heterodox approach of the causal relationships links between agricultural productivity and food insecurity would be analysed in another paper.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants of farmers' willingness to pay (CAP) amounts for the use of microdose technology components on farms in the Kourittenga and Zondoma provinces of Burkina Faso. Faced with the precariousness of the productivity of their lands, farmers make investments in the practice of innovative microdose technology to improve and maintain the productive capital of crop plots. However, the factors determining the amounts granted for the practice of the components are little known. The literature in this area is generally focused on the perception of technology adoption and less on the determinants of investment and willingness to pay. The purpose of this study is to analyze the determinants of farmers' willingness to pay (CAP) amounts for the use of microdose technology components on farms in the Kourittenga and Zondoma provinces of Burkina Faso. A survey was conducted among 360 farm households in municipalities in both provinces and the data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Heckman's two-stage selection model was used for this study The results of the analysis revealed that: experience in microdose technique, social status, area, land tenure and distance from fields are factors influencing willingness to pay reported by farming households for the practice of the components 'Stony Cordons + Compost + Microdose'; the 'Zai + Compost + Microdose' and the 'Zaï + Manure + Microdose'. While household size, available area, level of education, literacy and farm income influence the amounts reported by farmers. However, the great heterogeneity of farmers' characteristics and the different contexts impose case-by-case options in order to take into account local specificities.

This article analyzes the modes of local governance of pastoral and agro-pastoral infrastructures in the district of Nikki, N'Dali and Tchaourou in north Benin. Data related to the types of existing infrastructures, the modes of governance applied; the perceptions of the users on the adequacy between these infrastructures and their needs have been collected both in focus group and in individual interviews using interview guides. Principal component analysis; descriptive statistics; speech analysis were used to analyze these data. The results indicate that there are four categories of pastoral and agro-pastoral infrastructure namely hydraulic, driving, market and health infrastructure. Three modes of management coexist in this area: community management, mixed management and private management. Private management was revealed most adequate than the two others by both users and local authorities, but is not applicable to any infrastructure because of the conflicts and restrictions it may cause. Community and mixed management approaches, while considered inefficient, appear more appropriate for livestock markets. Also, it has been found that the management committees set up work poorly. User perception also hinders the functioning of committees and the mobilization of fees. According to these results, it will be necessary to provide the committees statutes and intern regulation rules, to make them aware of their respect, to train members on the rules of local governance in order to guarantee an efficient and sustainable management of the infrastructures.