Full Length Research Paper

Impact of rural development projects on agricultural productivity in selected regions of Benin

Jacob A. Yabi¹ and Victor Afari-Sefa²*

¹Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Parakou; BP: 123 Parakou; Republic of Benin.

² Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Associate, Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), P.O. BOX GP-135, Accra, Ghana.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: v.afari-sefa@cgiar.org  or afarisefa@yahoo.com. Tel: +233-249-301259. Fax: +233-21-772789.

Accepted 2 October, 2009

   Abstract

In this study, data collected from 120 rural households located in two distinct socio-cultural locales of Benin was used to assess the impact of 20 development projects on agricultural productivity. A ‘with-without’ approach of impact evaluation is followed using ANOVA and econometric regressions. Results reveal no significant differences of projects on agricultural productivity between participants in the two study zones. Econometric regression estimates show significantly positive impacts on agricultural productivity for two selected project indicators in the two study zones. However, the goal achievement index was more remarked in the Adja area, where the projects were found to have better addressed development problems and provided higher impact. The results suggest the need to improve management of agricultural projects to enhance their impact. Likewise, objectives and activities of the projects should be oriented to deal better with development problems of rural people, in particular those of the poorest and marginalized communities.

Key words: Productivity, rural projects, impact, Benin.