Productive Strategies for Poor Households to Participate Successfully in Global Economic Processes First draft Country Report for Senegal to the IDRC By Bara Gueye1 1 INTRODUCTION Objective The overall objective of the study is to prepare an agenda of priority research for the IDRC Rural Poverty and Environment Programme Initiative (RPE) within the theme “productive strategies for poor households to participate successfully in the global economic process”. The RPE’s mission is to contribute to the development of networks, partnerships and communities of practices, in order to strengthen institutions, policies and practices that enhance the food, water and income security of the poor, including those living in fragile or degraded uplands and coastal ecosystems. Short description of the methodology; The methodological process used to carry out this study combined a set of 4 complementary phases: 1 An inception phase aimed at refining the conceptual framework of the study, defining the research scope, carrying out a literature review and drafting an inception report to inform the following phases 2 Six regional scans carried through desk reviews to have an overview of socio-economic development issues of relevance of the study and to identify relevant themes that can potentially feed into regional research agendas. Identification of current research and potential partner institutions was also part of the regional scans. 3 Country level investigations carried in the pilot countries selected in each one of the six sub- regions. Country case studies were based on participatory stakeholders’ analysis with the aim of validating the regional scans reviews. An important component of the country case studies was to make an assessment of the relevance of the research themes and if necessary to propose new themes. 4 Consolidation and dissemination of he regional scans and country cases studies. The expected results are: o inception report o regional scans o country reports o country workshops o general report with strategic research themes o calls for research proposals based on the themes identified 1 With contribution from A. Salam fall 1 Objectives of this particular document This report combines the result of a regional scan focusing on the Sahel belt of West Africa and a more in-depth country study focusing on Senegal. The regional scan focused on the Sahelian belt of West Africa comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. Mainly based on secondary data review, it was carried out to overview the socioeconomic development issues in the region relating to the adaptive capacities of the poor rural households to the global economic process, and to the mechanisms by which the enabling environment can support the participation of the rural poor. Other areas of focus of the regional scan include an overview of the current and likely future relevant research activities, the potential partners including financers for this future work and finally the identification of a list of relevant research themes that might feed into the regional agenda. The Senegal country case study, on the other hand was undertaken to validate the regional scan finding with a particular focus on the identification of policies, processes and institutions able to expand the potential benefits of participation to the rural poor. In the agenda of the country case study was also the assessment of the relevance of the thematic research identified during the regional scan through a large consultation with key stakeholders. Unlike the regional scan, the country case study included interviews with key informants including representatives of farmers organizations, policy makers, elected members of parliaments and local governments, NGOs, international organizations, traders, researchers and extension agents. Another important component of the country case, is the organization of national workshop aimed at sharing the preliminary findings with key stakeholders, assess their relevance with regional scan and national context, add new ideas and insights to improve the report. 2 2. VALIDATION OF KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REGIONAL SCAN (GUIDELINE <8 PAGES) 2.1. HOW CAN POOR RURAL HOUSEHOLDS ADAPT THEIR LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES TO BENEFIT FROM PARTICIPATION WITH GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROCESSES 2.1.1. Understanding the context Key findings from regional scan Views of local stakeholders Comments and analysis New narratives Who are the poor? Overall, typology is considered to be Some areas like Kolda and 1. Small farmers living in relevant. However: Kedougou where poverty is As in other Sahelian countries the subsistence farming. Need to include geographical highest like are not the poorest in incidence of poverty is high in 2. Pastoralists with only small difference (Kolda and Kedougou natural resources: they have good Senegal ( people living below ruminants especially (less than 3 districts have highest level of rainfall, ecological diversity, low poverty line of 2400 cal/day from units) poverty) population density, fertile lands. 57,9% in 1994 to 53, 9% in 2001 3. Pastoralists who, found Therefore ill-defined policy while the 2001 survey on perception include peri-urban poor in the themselves as seasonal guards of orientations and low economic gives 65%). Poverty is more striking small herds vicinity of Dakar, Touba (highest in rural areas: between 72 et 88% diversification appear to be 4. The agro-pastoralits not having urban population growth: 4,5 to against 44 and 59% in urban areas major constraining factors. either sufficient products of 6%). (DSRP, 2002). Main rural poor are: The persistence of poverty is cattle to sell, or sufficient not yet Poverty not equality distributed Small farmers living in subsistence productive lands partly due to the fact that the farming, Pastoralists with very few even within poor community: 5. Women-head of households. primary sector whivh accounts small ruminants, pastoralists who lost inter-generational, gender and 6. The large families (10 people for 72 to 88% of the poor all their animals, agro-pastoralits not social status differences exist. and more) having too many contributes only for 19% of having either sufficient products of infants New trend: poverty national wealth, while the cattle to sell, or sufficient not yet 7. Individuals - generally pregnant productive lands, women-head of “massification” in peri-urban tertiary sector contributes for and nursing women and children cities households, large families (10 people of less than 5 years, 51% of national wealth with only and more) having too many infants, 3 physiologically fragile 14,3% (Bosco Ki, 2005) of the pregnant or nursing women and poor. Therefore the primary children physiologically fragile; peri- sector should be the driver of any urban dwellers living in land policy aimed at reducing insecurity poverty. : Degree of rural and their influence Rural sector employs 60% of For example Kolda which has the The degree of rural influence the on participation Senegalese population lowest accessibility index (0-50 choice of participation strategy. It Degree of rural is important against a maximum of 400-500) to has been observed that: the 5 most important social sector because participation in most “rural” areas in Senegal economic processes is influenced (education, water, health, road, tend to have weak access to by infrastructure base, access to market) has the weakest links to infrastructure, education and education, to markets and to national and international markets health, information and markets. information and most remote Infrastructure critical because of rural areas tend to have weakest uneven population distribution access to infrastructure and (areas of production remote from markets. main consumption centres: 80% of population concentrated in 20- 30% of the territory) In these circumstances the participation of poor households tend to be low with a strong role played by middlemen who grasp the largest share of revenues. Extent of current participation: Besides the issues raised in the In Senegal participation of poor The participation of poor households barriers, trends and future prospects regional scan, some additional households is considered to be in global process is still weak. Main Indeed, the poor populations are barriers were raised, they include: weak. barriers include: adversely integrated into the market and power concentration Feeling that the negative impact Power concentration at global global markets. Weak negotiation power is more important than the level and more and more at through the trade of their positive ones. domestic level. 4 agricultural products Unfair trade rules Since 2000, Common External Weak negotiation power of poor through their consumption Small scale production Tariff (CET) considered as one farmers models, which are more and of the principal cause of import Unfair trade policies (subsidies) more based on values and habits surge (poultry, dairy product, affecting cotton, livestock, alien to local culture refined oil, etc.). For example, groundnut and some vegetable between 1999 and 2002, import like onion Small scale of rural of poultry products increased production from 2117 tons to 16600 tons current trends include: that is more than 780%!!! Causing the closing down of Producers’ organisation joining 70% of peri-urban poultry small together trough international businesses. coalitions to have a stronger influence on international Also because of dumping of agenda. ROPPA is therefore refined vegetable oil