WAGENINGEN AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY PAPERS 93-4(1993) Rural people's responset o soil fertility decline. TheAdj a case(Benin ) J. H. A. M. Brouwers WageningenAgricultural University Wageningen mm Agricultural University *ZJUIA 3 boo fllBLlOlHhfclS fctNDBOUWUNIVERsMlr WAGENINGEN CIP-GEGEVENS KONINKLIJKE BIBLIOTHEEK, DEN HAAG Brouwers,J . H. A. M. Rural people's response to soil fertility decline. The Adja case(Benin)/J . H. A. M. Brouwers. -Wageninge n :Agricultura l University. -(Wageninge n Agricultural University papers, ISSN 0169-345X ;93- 4 (1993) ISBN 90-6754-322-5 © Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands, 1993 No part of this publication, apart from abstract, bibliographic and brief quo­ tations embodied in critical reviews,ma y be reproduced, recorded or published in any form including print, photocopy, microform, electronic or electromagne­ tic record without written permission from the publisher Agricultural Universi­ ty, P.O. Box 9101, 6700 HB Wageningen, the Netherlands. Printed in the Netherlands by Veenman Drukkers B.V., Wageningen Summary This study examines rural people's knowledge in changing conditions such as decreasing soilfertilit y and increasing population. It explores how farmers, who depend on rainfed agriculture and are confronted with an ever increasing popu­ lation, react. The study presents the case of an ethnic group, the Adja, who livei n South-West Benin (West Africa). Chapter 1 looks at agriculture in tropical rainfed areas experiencing a decline in soilfertility . Research and extension have sofa r generated few feasible techni­ cal solutions to the problem. This chapter explores how rural people themselves cope with the situation. Rural people's knowledge processes still seem to be poorly understood. Thisstud yinvestigate sho wth eAdj a farmers perceivedemo ­ graphic pressure and how they react to it, what knowledge influences them and what learning processes have resulted in their knowledge. The second chapter provides a theoretical perspective relevant to this study. An analysis of the relationship between researcher and rural people is given, as well as a systems perspective on rural people's knowledge, a conceptualisation of rural people's knowledge and related concepts. Rural people's knowledge will beviewe d asth ereconstructio n ofknowledg eb ybot h ruralpeopl ean d theresearche r through adialogica lprocess .I naddition ,th ereconstructio n canonl yindicat ethi sknowledg e at a given moment in time. Three levels of studies on rural people's knowledge aredistinguished : (1)knowledg e 'products',(2 )th e socialconstructio n ofrura lpeo ­ ple'sknowledge , and (3)th e activitieswhic h resulted inthei r knowledge. Chapter 3 presents the methodology used in this work. Special attention is given to methodological issues related to research on rural people's knowledge and the role of the researcher. In Chapter 4, a general introduction to the Adja plateau and its inhabitants is presented. Besides an agronomic point of view, also the Adja classification point ofvie wi sgive n for basicelement s ofth eenvironment . The agro-ecological conditions on the plateau, the socio-cultural organisation of the Adja, as well as the history of the plateau and the interventions to change it, are described. The complexity ofAdj a farming ison e response to the risksinvolve d in farming. TheAdj a usesevera lelement sfro m theirenvironmen t topla n agricultural activi­ ties. The history of Adja farming shows constant changes in agricultural prac­ tices, giving a dynamic picture. Agronomic interventions designed to tackle the declining soil fertility problem have been limited in their results. The Adja oil palm-based agro-forestry system broadly relieves problems imposed by increasing population pressure and is outlined and analysed in Chapter 5. The system produces significant quantities of biomass and at the same time the oil palm is firmly entrenched in Adja agricultural activities. Also a view on soil fertility as seen by the Adja themselves isdescribed , together with CENTRALE LANDBOUW/CATALOGUS 0000 0575 8228 ananalysi so fth eeffec t ofth eoi lpal m system onsoi lfertility . TheAdj a recognise and appreciate theimportanc e of soillif ean d organicmatter , a viewpoint which iscorroborate d by the soil analysis. In Chapter 6, a presentation is given of phenomena related to rural people's knowledgeo nth eAdj a plateau, connected withvariabl edemographi cpressur e and soil fertility. Oil palm densities are higher in the more populated areas. When the oil palm system comes under pressure, farmers try to prolong the cultivation of annuals,increasin gth eprunin go foi lpalm san dfellin gthe msooner . Intensification and increasing diversification of agricultural production takes place in the more populated areas.I n addition, sucharea shav e developed more dynamic and diverse aspectso fsocia llif e(e.g .religion ,off-far m work,migration , trade,legislation )com ­ pared to areas with more land per caput. Leadership conventions have a broader base, than in earlier days. In addition to older people, enterprising or educated young people, women and men are included in decision-making. The emergence of women as agricultural entrepreneurs, with considerable trading freedom, and who buy small pieces of land hiring more labourers than male farmers, is partly explained bymal eout-migratio n andongoin gindividualisation ofth eAdj a society. In order to understand why farmers act the way they do, one must try to proceed from their knowledge, values and ideas.Elaboratin g on earlier chapters dealing with Adja knowledge, Chapter 7 seeks to understand the Adja perspec­ tive by examining Adja 'sense making' activities, like learning, transformation of technology, classifying and theory making. Various examples show that Adja learning has its roots in action. In the daily practice of this learning, constant attention to possible improvement isevident . Results ofexperiment s are shared, interpreted and discussed only in a restricted group. Encounters between differ­ ent experimenting groups take place in specific social and physical contexts. Externally generated technologies are transformed and combined with social, economic, political and other factors to become an integral part of agriculture. The variability amongst Adja farmers argues in favour of the capacity to assess at an individual or experimenting-group level the potential value of a new method or technique. In the more highly populated areas, this feature of new relationships and networks result in a dynamic cultural identity. In the final chapter, it is concluded that Adja farmers have a rich body of knowledge related to agriculture. However, their agricultural knowledge is strongly related to other phenomena (e.g.religion , social struggles and diversity, access to resources, migration). In addition, it is not static, but in a continuous process of change. It is also concluded that researchers may be able to sustain ongoing Adja experiments by elaborating on a broader set of methodologies for interactive and shared learning. The adaptive research performances of farmers might be enhanced by researchers who visit farmers in their fields and tryt ojoi ni nthei rdiscussion .Th eabilit y ofresearcher st oenlarg ethei r discursive analysis by incorporating a view of practical activities as applied by farmers seemsa n important prerequisite for fruitful collaboration. In addition, adaptive performances of farmers might be understood and discussed by researchers if they are willing to acknowledge dimensions other than agriculture. VI Preface and acknowledgments Traditional transfer of technology models do not seem to be effective for improving rainfed agriculture in difficult and fragile environments. The search for more effective and efficient ways of generating and exchanging knowledge islikel yt o beenhance d by acknowledging farmers' capacities.Th epresen t book seeks to make a contribution to that search. I thank the farmers from the research villages who enabled me to make this attempt for sharing with me their feelings, and teaching me how they cope with life. I am also indebted to the members of theuniversit y cooperation programme between the Faculty ofAgri ­ cultural Sciences of the National University of Benin and the Wageningen Agri­ cultural University (WAU). Thisprogramme , funded by the Netherlands Orga­ nisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC), enabled me to undertake the fieldwork for the present study. I am also grateful to the members of the Department of Rural Sociology and Extension in Benin and themember s of theDepartmen t of Communication and Innovation Studies (WAU) who provided a stimulant environment for research. I am especially indebted to Niels Röling for creating the Wageningen Research Programme on Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Agriculture, of which this study forms a part. Many persons contributed to this book in one way or another, and I would like to take this opportunity to mention several of them. I thank the Beninese and Dutch students who shared their experiences and opinions with me: Mark Breusers, Constant Dangbégnon, Bert Hiddink, Ronny Dobbelsteijn, Els Ver­ hagen, Christine Wipfler and CésaireGnanglé . Ia m grateful to Constant Dang­ bégnon for assisting me during the fieldwork, for maintaining the contact with fanners during myothe r duties and for hiscritica lcomments . Ia m also indebted to Jon Daane, Anne Floquet, Doortje Wartena, Arnoud Budelman, Valentin Koudokpon, Mark