The SNV's Program for Strengthening Cotton Producer Organizations, due to the failure of the prescriptive approaches used in the past in rural area, has implemented another more participative and holistic approach (the Advice for the Family Farming: AFF). This approach aims at improving the decision-making process of the producers and consequently, the improvement of their incomes. This article therefore aims at evaluating the effects of the Advice for the Family Farming (AFF) on the economic performance of cotton producers. The data collection involved 160 randomly selected producers including eighty (80) AFF auditors and eighty (80) non AFF auditors. These data were analysed using the multiple linear regression method. The results showed that the AFF auditor’s cotton producers were economically more efficient than their homologous non-auditors. In fact, the net margin of the auditors was significantly higher than the net margin of their homologous non-auditors as the coefficient of the variable "contact with an AFF facilitator" is positive and significant at the 1% threshold. Accordingly, the net margin of an AFF auditor was increased by 25,294.68 F CFA. The AFF therefore had a positive effect on the net margin of the beneficiaries. However, the adoption of the AFF by the producers has been a major problem. Thus, continuing with the alphabetisation of the producers would be a guarantee for the control of the AFF. Finally, the extension of the approach to other household activities and the inclusion of a larger number of women will help to improve considerably the living conditions of rural populations.

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.