Input Policies and Crop Diversification: Evidence from the Collines Region in Benin

Abstract

Formulating policy to strengthen rural livelihood in a country like Benin may be very challenging. This paper investigates the effect of input policies on crop diversification in rural Benin. Multistage sampling techniques have been used to collect primary data from 522 households in the Collines Region. Considering access to fertilizer and seed policies, we used a linear regression analysis to find that access to fertilizer and seed negatively affect the extent of crop diversification. Although some factors (household size and access to extension services) have a positive relationship with crop diversification, we maintain that if the government wants to promote crop diversification as a farmer's strategy to manage risk and uncertainty, there is a need to rethink the input policies. Nevertheless, making fertilizer and seed accessible to farmers is a great opportunity in a country where access to inputs is the major agricultural constraint. © 2017 The Authors. African Development Review © 2017 African Development Bank