Drivers of Multiple Cropping-Systems as Adaptive Strategy to Climate Change in Central-Benin (West Africa)

Abstract

Climate change is currently one of the most important global environmental issues that negatively affect agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. This importance has resulted in a great interest to understand both the farmers' perception of and adaptation to observed climate change. A good number of previous studies did explicitly focus on several adaptation strategies. Nevertheless, a better understanding of the socio-economic drivers underlying specific adaptive measures to climate change is crucial to inform specific adaptation components that will fall into a wider adaptation plan. In this respect, the present study focuses on the use of multiple cropping systems consisting of growing two or more crops on the same field either at the same time or one after another as climate change adaptation strategy. Accordingly, this paper examines different strategies commonly used to intensify agricultural production in tropical agriculture. These include crop rotation and association in the center of Benin.Data were collected in central Benin through interviews with 80 farmers selected by using a multistage random sampling technique. Data analysis was carried-out by using descriptive statistics and a Probit regression. The results showed that the major drivers of multiple cropping systems as adaptive strategy to climate change include contacts with extension services, education level, and farm size. Major constraints to the use of multiple cropping systems are gender, adult literacy, perception of adaptation to climate change, experience with climate change impacts, and farmer location. Policy options should include, among others, production of information related to impacts of climate change and their dissemination through formal services such as extension services; identification of potential ways to greatly improve returns on extra agricultural activities, and investigating on the effects of past adoption strategies on the different cropping systems.

Opportunities for sustainable intensification in European agriculture

“…To map socio-economic opportunities for sustainable intensification, we used spatial proxies for the adoption of innovation and sustainable practices among farmers and consumers, derived from a literature review. Farmers open to innovation and sustainability tend to be younger, be better educated and have larger farms (Genius et al, 2006;Passel et al, 2007;Koesling et al, 2008;Lobley et al, 2009;Gómez-Limón and Sanchez-Fernandez, 2010;Zagata and Sutherland, 2015;Degla et al, 2016;Pavlis et al, 2016). The type of tenure is important because farmers tend to adopt more sustainable practices on owned land than on rented land (Fraser, 2004;Kassie et al, 2015).…”

Multiple Cropping for Raising Productivity and Farm Income of Small Farmers

“…However, among those multiple cropping is the most effective technique. Multiple cropping can be done in annual food crops, fodders, vegetables, fruit plants and perennial crops (Gliessman 1979, Degla et al 2016. Mixed cropping could enable the country to be self-sufficient in food production and export the surplus to generate revenue to finance the cost of other projects.…”

“…Multiple cropping is defined as the intensification of cropping in time and space leading to growing two or more crops on the same field in a year (Andrews 1976, Joshi 2007, Degla et al 2016. In Nepal, subsistence farming under rainfed condition which is around 70% of total cultivation is practiced since history.…”

“…The history of multiple cropping is old; however, the concept has received very little attention from agricultural scientists. Recently, some interest has been generated very recently as one of the climate change adaptation strategies (Degla et al 2016).…”

Mixed Cropping as a Response to Climate Change in Manyoni District, Tanzania

“…Mixed cropping is defined as the "… amplification of cropping in time and space leading to growing two or more crops on the same field in a year" (Andrews & Kassam, 2015;Joshi, 2017;Degla et al, 2021). Mixed cropping represents a within-field diversification strategy that is based on ecological intensification.…”