Tragedy of the inland lakes

Increased pressure on communal fishing grounds is testing the traditional regulations among fishermen to preserve inland waters’ productive capacity and ecological values. Inland lakes of Benin are a typical case in point. With a mounting number of fishermen and pollution from densely populated urban areas the threat of overfishing and water degradation looms large. This paper questions if customary rules…

Read More

How to Transition from Cooperations to Cooperatives: A Case Study of the Factors Impacting the Organization of Urban Gardeners in Benin

Urban gardening offers a viable option to improve diet diversity for the urban poor. Yet, its success rate is particularly dependent on the managerial capacities of urban gardeners to coordinate and organize collective actions for the successful exploitation of the gardens. The calls from governments to organize cooperative structures among farmers seem justified and merits a high priority on agricultural…

Read More

Urban agriculture in Benin

Urban agriculture is a widespread activity that could contribute to realize various Sustainable Development Goals that are set by the United Nations. Calls for expanding the urban agricultural activities are, therefore, justified and merit a high priority on the political agenda. Yet, especially the organization and management of urban agriculture is much under-researched and targeted policies would benefit from more…

Read More

The fisherwomen of Benin

Women occupy pivotal positions in the value chain of inland fishery activities in the Global South. Being responsible for processing and marketing, women largely determine the value of the catch and income status of small-scale fisher families. Benin is no exception; approximately 40 000 women are employed in the inland fishery sector with buying and selling fish as their main…

Read More

What does the fisherman want?

Despite its contribution to the livelihoods of more than 300,000 individuals, to food security and nutrition in Benin, the fishery sector receives less attention from research and policymakers compared to other agricultural sectors. A study conducted among 1,066 inland fishers (including 227 fisherwomen) provided critical information about their activities, vulnerability, resilience and water sharing rules. Food insecurity prevails among 32…

Read More