Number 10 July 2006 Farming dynamıcs

Self-managed livestock markets : the Beninese example Introduction

Overview In this issue of FD, we would like to share with you an agri- cultural innovation developed by the breeders of Gogounou, in à The context of livestock the North of , who are members of the regional union of farming in Benin professional organisations of ruminant breeders of Borgou and Alibori (Udoper). à Traditional livestock markets This initiative is, above all, a human adventure, a battle of a handful of breeders who are convinced that their situation à The creation of the first could be improved. They have been able to meet, discuss and self-managed livestock market mobilise an entire community in order to fundamentally change in Gogounou well-established traditional working patterns. à Functioning of the self-managed It is impossible to explain in a few pages the adventure of livestock market of Gogounou the Beninese breeders. Therefore, we have chosen to focus on a particular aspect: the creation of livestock markets that are à Direct results of the self- managed by the people who are directly involved. managed market of Gogounou These self-managed markets are an authentic instrument at the service of the professional organisation of breeders that à Spreading the results beyond Gogounou foster livestock and local development and show that a win-win strategy between producers and traders/intermediaries is pos- à Future limitations and sible and that for producers, “to sell better” does not necessarily challenges mean “to get rid of traders and intermediaries”.

à Lessons Some of the activities being carried out at these markets are: increasing the producers’ income while safeguarding the References interests of other key actors, facilitating the balance between supply and demand, bringing more transparency to transactions and offering livestock related services. They also contribute to improve market access to products and could serve as an inspira- tion for other development actors. Page 

The context of livestock Traditional livestock markets farming in Benin Traditionally, livestock sale takes place in Benin has more than 6 million inhabitants, the Peulh camps, where the breeder is at two thirds of which live in the rural area. the mercy of the buyer and has no informa- ming

r In the northern area, the driest one with tion or negotiating power regarding prices. 900 to 1 100 mm of rain per year we can There are also the so- called “traditional” find two thirds of the national livestock livestock markets, regulated by local Fa (1,5 million cattle and 2 million sheep authorities and organised by intermediar- and goats). Almost half of the cattle herds ies or “Dilaalï” in the Haoussa language, live in the northern regions of Borgou and an authentic institution anchored in the Alibori, where the self-managed livestock local socio-economic organisation.

dynamıcs markets were created. In these traditional markets, the Dilaalï The breeding of big ruminants is mainly are in charge of housing breeders and done by the Peulh and the Gando, but with buyers (butchers, traders) and act on their the help of animal traction, farmers also behalf during the transaction: there is no became breeders. To this group, we need direct relation between the breeder and the to add the migrants of Niger, Burkina Faso buyer. The Dilaalï are paid the difference and Nigeria that went to Benin following between the purchasing price and the sell- the droughts of the 70’s and 80’s. ing price. The most common breeding system is semi- The butchers, who used to be of Haoussa sedentary, with a small seasonal migration and Yoruba origin, are nowadays native. in the rainy season and a big one in the dry Traders are from Haoussa, Zerma and season. These migrations inside the coun- mostly Peulh and we can differentiate try play an important role and exist due two types: traders-resellers who visit the to agricultural, environmental, economic, primary collect markets and supply the cultural and land-related reasons. But grouped secondary markets or specialised straying animals remain a source of severe traders that buy in large quantities in sec- and sometimes lethal conflicts between ondary markets and transfer the livestock farmers and breeders. towards the markets of , Lomé In the big livestock areas there are local and Nigeria. primary markets. They supply livestock In this impenetrable system, the breeder for secondary markets that serve as a relay and buyer do not know the real market towards the southern regional markets of price and there are frequent conflicts with Benin ( and Cotonou) and external the intermediaries. At the end, breeders markets (Lomé in Togo, Ibadan in Nigeria, feel ripped off and are reluctant to sell Accra in Ghana). Lately, massive popula- their livestock. In this context they have tions of livestock have been transferred launched initiatives to sell their animals at from Burkina Faso towards Nigeria via the better conditions. Beninese markets (, Bohicon). Page 

The creation of the first breeders, butchers, traders, loaders), safe- self-managed livestock market guarding the regular management of the in Gogounou market. Taxes (100 Fcfa/sold unit) were no longer managed by the VG but they were The self-managed livestock markets were put into an open account at the local Bank ming

created in Gogounou in the 70’s, the result of mutual agricultural credit. r of self-determined charismatic leaders and In the new market characterised by the grass-roots actors. They went through dif- conversion of the intermediary Dilaalï in ferent stages supported by several external paid witnesses, there is: Fa factors. K direct contact between supply and demand; K A firm start (1976-80) K transactions facilitated and certified by

A group of breeders and local leaders, the witness; dynamıcs particularly Aboubacar Tidjani Demo, K better information and transparency rose up against the impenetrable trading regarding prices. system held by the Dilaalï in the tradi- Breeders are satisfied by this system tional livestock market: they decided to which led to income increases. The former stop sending animals to the market. There Dilaalï are no longer perceived as crooks were tensions and threats, some leaders because they are now paid by breeders at were even imprisoned to force the breeders a fixed and pre-determined manner for to put their animals on sale. But the latter an efficient service. At the same time, the defied the pressure and two months later Old Sages are accommodated by the small the market of Gogounou collapsed. amounts that they still receive. That was when the process towards a more transparent management of trans- K Creation of the Local Association to actions started. The intermediaries were manage the market (1995) not excluded from the system, since this In 1995 the market of Gogounou received would have been neither economically nor a more formal and recognised legal socially sustainable for them, and would framework with the creation of the Local be undermined sooner or later. In fact, Association to manage the livestock market they were integrated at the core of the new (ALGMB). The association has statutes, market, albeit with a new role: the role of regulations and the following objectives: witnesses (Seedêbè) between breeders and K to offer moral and material support to buyers. Their task was to facilitate the the breeders for the promotion of animal sale of animals registering the transaction health; and gathering a tax. This tax of 25 Fcfa K to try to reduce the commercial inter- per sold unit was managed by the village mediaries and facilitate trade between group (VG). One third of it was paid to breeders, buyers and consumers ; the witnesses and two thirds to the Old K to ensure the regular supply of livestock Sages of Gogounou (important people in in the market; the ancient system). K to promote and manage the market; K to guarantee the education and associa- K Organisation of a Market Management tive training of members; Committee with multiple actors (1986) K to facilitate mutual aid and solidarity The organisation of the market has evolved among members; towards the installation of a manage- K to conduct all kinds of legal activity that ment committee. This committee brought can provide moral, social and material together all parties (breeders and agro- support to the members. Page 

K External support (1990-99) K collecting a tax for all transactions, in The Gogounou breeders have obtained full transparency, under the control of technical and financial support from secretaries and witnesses (1000 Fcfa/ structures (1) or projects (2) of the State. cattle unit and 200 Fcfa/small ruminant, This support has allowed them to improve paid in equal parts by the breeder and ming

r the functioning of the market mainly buyer) and account keeping; through training, mutual visits and advice K regular ordinary meetings (technical and on financial management, documentation, financial balance sheet, programme of Fa basic animal welfare and the management activities) and extraordinary meetings and solution of conflicts. This support has (to solve conflicts, to deal with cases of also allowed equipping the market with stolen animals…). an office, a pharmacy, a boarding plat- To facilitate its task, the management com- (3)

dynamıcs form and a well and has also structured mittee pays the following agents : the market space. K witnesses – former Dilaalï – they certify In all theses actions, the participation and transactions and send the taxes received financial engagement of breeders takes a to the secretaries. They are paid about partnership approach, and is not intended 25% of the taxes as an act of charity. K supervisors, they verify the tickets before departure of the animals (income : 2000 Fcfa/market) Functioning of the self- K secretaries, they issue the tickets, collect managed livestock market taxes and send them to the treasurer of of Gogounou the committee of market management (income: 2750 Fcfa/market). K person in charge of the input market K The actors of the market There are other agents present in the mar- In its General Assembly, the ALGMB ket: salespeople that transport the ani- takes into account all actors involved in mals in vehicles (paid by the drivers: 125 the livestock sale: breeders, agro-breed- Fcfa/cattle head); loaders that board the ers, traders, butchers and female sellers. animals (paid by traders: 150 Fcfa/cattle Women are particularly involved because head); catering ladies paid for by the cus- they breed small ruminants and process tomers. breeding products (curd, cheese, milk- enriched gruel …). K The activities of the ALGMB Apart from the weekly management of the K Market management Gogounou market, the association also The market is defined as « self-managed finances several activities for its members market » because it is directly managed with its equity capital: by the actors involved. The ALGMB has K capacity-building: training the commit- tools for the financial and economic man- tee members in document management; agement of the market: the elected man- training of young people in basic animal agement committee and the monitoring welfare; promoting literacy of female committee that ensure the good function- sellers; ing of the market; deal with management documents and issue tickets. (1) Regional Action Centre for rural development. (2) Project for the professionalisation of (French cooperation); French farmers and international The administrative and financial manage- development. ment of the market mainly consists of: (3) 004 figures, Gogounou market. Page 

K purchase of equipment and infrastruc- As a result of these actions the market ture for the market; gained real credibility for breeders, local K supply of basic drugs with a link to pri- partners, breeding services and external vate veterinaries; projects. K establishing contacts with local institu- ming

tions and support structures; r K organising meetings to raise awareness Spreading the results and exchange views. beyond Gogounou Fa In addition, the ALGMB is responsible for spreading information and raising awareness of this organisational “model” K The network of self-managed markets towards other Beninese markets, and is in Gogounou was the first self-managed mar-

charge of the coordination with the self- ket, followed by two other ones: Ouessè dynamıcs managed markets network (infra). and Paouignan. In 1999, these three mar- kets established a network (the RLMS (4) network) in order to exchange their experi- Direct results of the self- ences by organising joint information meet- managed market of Gogounou ings and training sessions. The Gogounou market started receiving many visits both from within Benin and abroad: the manag- K Increased commercialisation and ers of traditional markets wanted to estab- improvement of breeding conditions lish the system in their markets as well as The first immediate effects of the market breeding and local development projects. are better selling prices of livestock for the During the constitutive General Assembly breeders, easier and faster transactions in 2001, the network was granted statutes, for the buyers and an increased volume of regulations and several tools (accession exchanges: almost 5500 cattle and more and minute registers of the meetings, cash than 3000 small ruminants were sold in book, bank registers). At that time, 9 mar- 2003 (more than 6 million Fcfa). kets were part of the network. In 2005, The increased number of visits to the mar- their number had grown to 23. ket also allows for a better health control of the animals and a more efficient fight K Udoper – the breeders’ organisation against animal theft. The market is a Since the year 2000, and particularly after meeting and exchanging point that favours the meetings and enlarged restitutions pro- the access of breeders to information and moted by the leader breeder Aboubacar strengthens their organisations. Tidjani Demo as part of the awareness- raising of livestock markets, breeders K Promoter of local development and decided to organise themselves in groups. wider recognition At the grass-root level, professional groups With the Gogouonou market, the breeders of ruminant breeders (GPER) meet at a have been able to finance local initiatives: specific place to gather the animals for participation in social works, creation of vaccination. These GPERs are grouped in primary schools in the Peulh camps… We departmental unions (UAGPER), which should also highlight the systematic inte- are grouped in district unions (Ucoper). gration of the women of Gogounou – Peulh The Ucoper meet within the department and Bariba – in the process: training, sup- union Borgou-Alibori (Udoper). port of the transformation, promotion of literacy… (4) Luumondji Mareefuji Sago Network.. Page 

The General Assembly of Udoper that markets with all the actors and the atten- took place in 2004 gathered more than dance of representatives of 17 town coun- 3000 breeders from the North of Benin cils. During this occasion, they explained but also mayors, administrative officials, the possibility for town councils to del- project managers and delegations of egate the management of livestock mar- ming

r twin organisations from Mali and Niger. kets. This formula has met the agreement During the GA of September 2005, with a of numerous town councils, not only those large number of breeders present, a dozen who enjoy a self-managed market, but also Fa new districts asked for membership in the those with traditional markets. movement, thus creating a regional union. At that time, Udoper included 6 Ucoper (5), 39 UAGPER, 650 GPER and 227 groups Future limitations and dynamıcs of female breeders affiliated to the net- challenges work, bringing together a total number of 25 000 breeders. Naturally, self-managed livestock mar- The links between Udoper and the MBA kets do not solve all problems. Numerous network are strong because the MBA can obstacles and challenges remain. contribute to the financing of Udoper With the expansion of the movement, activites. Udoper in turn favours the sale of breeders must face the limited resources healthy animals and increases the number to meet all the targets (infrastructures, of livestock in the markets. Both Udoper for example) and have competent man- and the MBA network search for partners agement and control committees in place. jointly. The number of districts and town coun- cils wanting to participate in self-managed K Liaising with the town councils markets increases rapidly and there are so In Benin, the recent period is characterised many requests of support and collabora- by the disengagement of the state and the tion to town councils and breeders’ organ- strengthening of decentralised communi- isations that Udoper will have to find a ties. Although in this framework the law way to satisfy them. grants the management of trading infra- At the local level the dialogue initiated by structures to local authorities, the prac- Udoper following the tensions between tice of this prerogative has led to tensions some town councils and market manage- between certain town councils and market ment entities must continue in order to management bodies. reach solutions. In some cases, like in Gogounou, the At the national level, with the land pres- amount of taxes and market activities have sure, migration becomes more difficult been discussed with the town council: in and there are still many and frequent con- this way the ALGMB fixed the tax at 1500 flicts between breeders and farmers. Fcfa/cattle unit, 500 F were transferred to Finally, at the sub-regional level the free the town council and the MBA manage- circulation of animals and migrant breed- ment was concerted. However, in other ers poses a problem in the regional frame- districts, the town council has unilater- work of Cedeao (6). ally imposed the whole tax and taken full control of the market organisation… and breeders have responded with a market boycott. (5) Gogounou, Kalalé, Nikki, , Sinendé Udoper has then organised a workshop and Bembéréké. on the concerted management of livestock (6) Economic Community of West African States. Page 

Lessons K A win-win situation is possible K Basic Principles To conclude, the key to success lies in According to the leaders, clear conclusions improving the breeders’ income while and assumptions can be drawn from the safeguarding the interests of other actors ming

success of Udoper and the self-managed in the sector. r livestock markets: The breeders’ strategy has involved all K the necessary democratic and transpar- relevant actors, leading to a relatively fast ent management of the resources and success. It changed well-established eco- Fa markets; nomic and social operating patterns that K the bottom-up solidarity of the organisa- were commonly accepted. tion (and its accompanying support)

K the indispensable involvement and References dynamıcs respect of all the actors concerned K the involvement of governmental ser-  Power-point presentation by Djegga vices, district authorities, NGOs and Demmon, vice-president Udoper, at: private companies with a partnership « Consultation d’experts sur les systèmes spirit. d’information de marché et les bourses This will be a long-term experience (it d’échanges agricoles: renforcer les signaux started in the 70’s), since it is based on a et les institutions de marché », organised willingness to learn, to get organised and in Amsterdam, The Netherlands by CTA, to train new leaders among the breeders. November 2005.  Power-point presentation by K Different ways to improve Aboubacar Tidjani, President of Udoper, at market access « Capitalisation sur l’appui aux Organisation Striking a balance between supply and de producteurs par la coopération fran- demand, making transactions more trans- çaise », organised in Ouagadougou, Burkina parent and offering market services are Faso by CTA, MAE, Inter-réseaux, June some of the activities carried out in self- 2004. managed markets that improve the flow of  Self-managed livestock markets in the products and remuneration of producers, North of Benin: articulation with local increasing the physical and financial vol- development / ume of commercial activities and fostering Paul Onibon. – Ouagadougou : MAE, local development. CTA, Inter-réseaux, 2004.- 49 p.

R e F e r e n c e S Information Relay  The well documented and updated Sedelan analysis and ministerial management of dos- site www.abcburkina.net offers a great deal of siers, it highlights the need to support farmers information. In particular, the dossier about milk in their food function. ACDIC wishes to change in Africa receives regularly new contributions. the behaviour in Cameroon and introduce  On June 22, the ACDIC, a Cameroon-based the concept of “food sovereignty” in interna- citizens’ association that defends collective inter- tional negotiations. www.acdic.net. This cam- ests launched its new campaign on food sover- paign is also presented in Europe by SOS Faim: eignty: « Aidons-les à nourrir ». Based on several www.sosfaim.org Page 

SOS Faim and farmers organisations Since 1964, SOS Faim Belgium and, since 1993, SOS Faim Luxembourg support farmers and agrarian producers organisations in some 15 countries in Africa and Latin America. ming

r Their actions are built around three working themes: the support of institutional and organi- sation development, the support o economic activities and the defence of the interests of the Southern producers in Belgium, Luxembourg and Europe. In this framework, SOS Faim Fa Belgium and Luxembourg have created “Farming Dynamics”, a quarterly bulletin issued in French, Spanish and English.

The objectives of Farming Dynamics are the following:

dynamıcs  To make known these farmers’ and producers’ organizations on the largest scale possible: their actions, their experiences. Their problems, their solutions. Their positions and proposals on matters of their concern.  Organize debates, exchange of experiences and ideas on subjects like their own develop- ment, or the future of agriculture, of the rural world;  Inform politicians who have an influence on these organizations activities in the South.

If you would like to react about the themes dealt with in this issue of Farming Dynamics, or if you would like to give us your opinion or contribute some information please contact us at: [email protected]

This bulletin is based on documents written or presented by Udoper representatives (Aboubacar Tidjani Demo – President – and Djegga Demmon) in the framework of the joint work of the Centre technique de coopération agricole et rurale (CTA), the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and Inter-réseaux. These documents have been summarised by Inter-réseaux Rural Devolpment (Anne Lothoré and Patrick Delmas: inter-ré[email protected])

C o n t a c t s

SOS Faim – Action for development , B-1000 Brussels. Rue aux Laines, 4 B-1000 Brussels - Belgium Tel. 32-(0)2.511.22.38 – Fax: 32-(0)2.514.47.77 E-mail: [email protected] – internet site: www.sosfaim.be SOS Faim – Action for development, Résidence "Um Deich" bloc C, 9, rue du Canal L-4050 Esch-sur-Alzette – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Tel: 352-49.09.96 – Fax: 352-49.09.96.28 E-mail: [email protected] – internet site: www.sosfaim.org

«Farming Dynamics» is created with the support of the General Direction of Development Cooperation and the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Responsible editor: Freddy Destrait, rue aux Laines 4