In the municipality of Abomey-Calavi in the Department of the Atlantic in South Benin, home gardens constitute at least 35% of the families' monthly sources of food, fruit, poultry and pigs. 43 home gardens were visited and 30 were selected by reasoned choice for the survey itself. The objective of this study is to show the contribution of these home gardens to the food security of rural populations. The data concerned the size, floristic composition, phytogeographical distribution, the years of creation of home gardens, the various uses of plants, the incomes brought by plants such as bananas, palm trees, coconut trees and teak. Individual structured interviews were used to interview households. Indices of diversity such as Shannon-Wiener and Jaccard have made it possible to categorize these home gardens and to specify their biological richness. The size of these gardens ranges from 200 m 2 to 8300 m 2 . The average percentage of species grown in home garden is 55% for their nutritional values, 29% for their medicinal values, 7% for the wood and energy needs of the populations. Half of the species found, have a wide geographical distribution. Income from these agrosystems sometimes cover partially or totally the children's school fees. This study has therefore shown the importance of home gardens in the municipality of Abomey-Calavi in a context of climate variability and increasingly pronounced demographic pressure on natural resources.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production in Benin is limited by several biotic and abiotic stresses. The objectives of this study were to document varietal trait preferences and peanut genetic diversity for breeding programs. A survey in the South and Center of Benin and an agro-morphological characterization was carried out. Results showed that farmers used five criteria, namely yield (seeds and pods), size of seeds, number of seeds per pod, oil content, and quality of the paste for selecting a variety. The clustering based on ten qualitative traits showed a variability structure in three groups based on the leaflets shape, plant habit, and branching pattern. The principal component analysis carried out on the quantitative traits indicated six groups of accessions. The group 3 of the latest analysis is composed of Azii alorga and Kamalo with interesting characteristics and showing a good criteria as seeds size (SDL= 14.62 ± 0.48 mm), and pods size (average pod length and width respectively PoL = 33.70 ± 1.14 mm, Pow = 14.87 ± 0.29 mm). The results should be prioritized for breeding programs to improve the good criteria found in other peanut varieties. It will be helpful for farmers in selecting performant varieties.

This article summarizes the evaluation of a new method for rice cultivation, the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), by a group of 90 rice farmers in Benin. Between August 2009 and June 2012, a series of tests were conducted in two rice ecosystems on 32 plots. This farmer-conducted research focused on the new methodology’s agronomic performance and its labor and seed requirements, also considering what would be the constraints on adoption. The trials showed that SRI methods could increase average yields under farmer conditions by 54 %, while reducing seed requirements by 87 % and shortening the growing season by 14 days. To achieve these benefits required an increase in the amount of labor, by 36 %. Producers participating in this evaluation concluded that SRI offers significant opportunities to increase their rice production, provided its methods are adapted to local conditions

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