Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation

Kathrin Schreckenberg 97

Raw material producers and socio-economic context

The population

The Bassila region is a veritable ethnic melting pot. The indigenous Anii are

restricted to this area and a few villages in neighbouring Togo. They are Muslims

and make up the entire population (585 people) of one of the case study

communities, Kodowari. The two main immigrant groups are the Logba (from

Ouaké, 80 km to the north-west) and the Otamari (from Natitingou, 170 km to

the north-west). The community of Diepani PK8 (108 people) consists almost

entirely of the Protestant Otamari, while the Logba in Djantala (147 people)

are a mixture of Muslims and Catholics and are joined by several Peulh families.

These semisedentarised cattle herders originate from areas to the north and

north-east of Bassila as well as from Togo, and live in isolated family camps in

the bush around the villages. They practise agriculture and hold small herds

of cattle and livestock on behalf of settled villagers.

Population density in the Bassila subprefecture remains relatively low at 9.5

people per square kilometre (1992 census) and there is no shortage of land. Tenure,

however, is a complicated matter. Although all land formally belongs to the state,

customary tenure still applies around Bassila and in much of the north of Benin.

Local authorities recognise the rights of the 13 Anii customary landowners in the

study area, who hold the land in trust for their lineage in a quasi-‘private’ way.

Farmers must request their permission to clear land, but can then farm without

paying rent (though occasional gifts to the landlord are advised). As the landowners

have large holdings (in several cases many thousands of hectares), they are often

unable to control them and land becomes a de facto open access resource.

All three communities live along the main road linking the coast with the

north. Each has access to a local school and a less than functional health post.

Kodowari has a lively market attracting around 100 traders after Friday mosque,

whereas the more recent shared market of Diepani PK8 and Djantala draws in

30 to 40 traders on Tuesday afternoons. Neither market is large enough for the

prefecture to collect taxes. Most traders are simultaneously sellers and buyers,

mainly of agricultural produce. In addition, each market has a number of ‘petty’

traders selling batteries, soap, sugar, matches and medicines, and an important

drinking area where traditional sorghum beer, palm wine and food are served.

Agriculture and other income-earning activities

In the study area fields are cleared and farmed for around four to six years

before being left fallow, sometimes for only two to four years. The main cash

crops are maize, groundnuts, cotton and cashew nuts. Sorghum, yam and

cassava are also important for subsistence. Traditional tools are the short-

handled hoe and the machete, animal traction being a recent (but popular)

introduction to the area. Artificial fertilisers and pesticides application is limited

to cotton and (rarely) maize. In general, the division of labour by gender is

still fairly traditional. Men clear and prepare land, weed, and harvest rootcrops,

while women sow and harvest all other crops. Women rarely have fields of

their own and generally work on their husbands’ or fathers’ fields. The heaviest

labour period is May to July when some crops are being planted, some already

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