Programme description

Title: Conservation and management of natural resources
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Benin
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of the Environment in Benin
Overall term: 2004 to 2014

Context

Agriculture and forestry make up 38 per cent of Benin’s gross national product, provide 70 per cent of all jobs in the country and produce 90 per cent of export revenues. They are thus the lifeline of the Beninese economy. The long-term preservation and expansion of agriculture and forestry will depend on whether natural resources can be managed sustainably. However, at present this cannot be guaranteed as population pressure continues to increase and soil fertility and harvest potential decline. The predominant status that cotton has in the country poses cultivation and income risks as well as dependence on the world market. Access to land is not secure due to outdated land ownership rights as there are conflicts between ‘land users‘ and ’land protectors’. Expert ministries and municipalities are not sufficiently capable of planning, coordinating and implementing the protection and use of resources.

Objective

The rural population should benefit more from the management of natural resources in rural areas. The objective is to enable families to attain a higher level of income and improve the social infrastructure and availability of water and fuel wood. The programme components “Management of the Pendjari biosphere reserve” aims at balancing the aspects of protection and utilisation. The shared use of the reserve should be of mutual benefit to the neighbouring population and the park management. The sovereign and economic duties in managing the national teak forests should also be divided among the local population, private enterprises and public institutions.

Approach

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of the Environment are advised on reorganising, developing and passing new land ownership rights. In addition, resource management should be decentralised in part. Management instruments and environment information systems are being developed, and both ministries are supported in improving their coordination processes.

With the introduction of decentralisation in 2002, the responsibility for managing natural resources was passed on to the municipalities. Their capacities to analyse, plan and regulate the common use of resources are to be strengthened. This also requires making available improved methods and procedures for the sustainable use of resources. The project’s regional priority areas are the two northern départements of Atakora and Donga, and promoting small-scale cotton production that uses resources responsibly in these areas.
The programme is carried out in close cooperation with the KfW Entwicklungsbank.