Beninclusive: dynamic markets for sustainable agricultural products

Project description / objective

To improve the living conditions and incomes of farming families through an inclusive and sustainable approach to market systems development. The programme has the following objectives in two sectors:

• Fish farming, impacting 2000 fish farmers and 500 women processors 
• Citrus, impacting 1000 orange producers, 25 processors and 100 nurserymen 

Market systems focus

Fish farming

Fish consumption in Benin is very high, but approximately 65 per cent of fish still comes from imports despite aquaculture production having increased by 429 per cent between 2011 and 2021. The increased cost of fish production in Benin (notably because of the high cost of feed) has meant that less expensive imported fish is more attractive.

Citrus fruits

Demand for citrus products is high, both in Benin and abroad. Currently, 70 per cent of the citrus crop (mainly oranges) rots due to a lack of technical know-how, processing capacity, market access among nurserymen, producers and processors, and structuring of all these actors. 

The processing link is still very weak and the links between producers and processors are not sufficient to allow actors to significantly increase their income.

Programme interventions

Fish farming

Quality fry: production and supply of quality fingerlings to fish farmers
Increasing national fish production through the provision of quality fry (imported strain). 

The programme aims to:

• provide 1,000 fish farmers with access to quality fingerlings.

Local feed: promotion of local fish feed based on local inputs (local feed)
Development of a local feed (based on black soldier mucus larvae) to offset the very high cost of the mostly imported feed (the cost of the feed currently represents 80 per cent of the total cost of fish production).

The programme aims to:

• provide access for 1,000 fish farmers to quality local industrial feed
• provide 1,500 tons of locally produced quality industrial feed

Innovation in transformation
To support the acquisition of modern processing equipment (subsidy window of the national agricultural development fund).
To sensitise women fish processors on innovative processing techniques (smoking, filleting, salting)

The programme aims to make:

• 500 fish processors aware of innovative processing techniques
• 400 sensitised fish processors use the acquired skills 

Structuring and promotion
The aim is to promote the structuring of actors, particularly around clusters (aggregates and aggregator) in order to promote: joint purchases to reduce costs; access to a disposal market through the aggregator who will generally purchase the entire production.

The programme aims to set up four clusters.

Citrus fruits

Organic fertilisers and pesticides
Provision of fertilisers, pesticides and other phytosanitary products (promotion of locally produced non-chemical fertilisers and pesticides).

The programme aims for 1,000 orange producers to have access to specific organic inputs.

Irrigation systems
Support orange growers to access funding to install irrigation systems (and increase production volume).

The programme aims for 500 producers to set up an adapted irrigation system.

Plant material
Collaboration with agricultural development territorial agencies to tackle the issue of damaged and ageing citrus plantations by identifying good quality, healthy plants and producing grafts from them.

The programme aims for:

• 100 nurserymen to offer quality plants to producers 
• 200 producers to be using the improved variety of oranges  

Structuring and promotion
The aim is to promote the structuring of actors, particularly around clusters (aggregates and aggregator) in order to promote: joint purchases to reduce costs; access to a disposal market through the aggregator who will generally purchase the entire production.

The programme aims to set up four clusters.

Notable results (systemic change, poverty impact)

Results will be added in late 2023.

[updated May 2023]