....FWO project Marijke Verpoorten

OBJECTIVES

This research project was initiated in 2009. It is funded by the Fund for Scientific Research (Flanders) - FWO-Vlaanderen.

In 2003 Benin’s shrimp sector faced a ban on exports to the EU, due to non-compliance with food safety norms. From then onwards, Benin has invested heavily to comply with EU standards, with the help of several donors. In 2005 the ban was lifted and it was expected that exports would retake soon. In 2009 exports had not yet retaken, but the outlook was positive, with key informants in Ministries and donors optimistic about a recovery of exports. In March-July 2009 we implemented a baseline survey among households of fishing communities in southern Benin. The plan was to do a follow-up survey once exports would retake, basically providing us with a natural experiment to measure the impact of renewed EU market access.

This research set-up allows us to contribute to the understanding of the linkages between trade, food safety standards and poverty by assessing the welfare and poverty implications of export market opportunities in the artisanal fishery sector.

RESEARCH DESIGN

For the purpose of identifying the impact of enhanced export market access through improved landing sites on fishermen and intermediate traders, we rely on an ambitious survey design.

1. We implemented a baseline survey in 2009, when no shrimps were exported.
2. The survey is geographically stratified, and includes 18 villages disrtibuted across three different communes, situated a three different lakes: Kpomasse at Lake Ahémé, So-Ava at Lake Nokoué and Aguesgues at the Laguna of Porto Novo (MAP).
3. The survey is also stratified across occupation. Relying on the 2006 census on fisheries in Southern Benin, we draw a sample of 264 shrimp fishers, 132 other fishermen, 144 households of intermediate traders/local processors and 12 recognized collectors.
4. The actors sampled as well as their household members ( ≥ 15 years old ) are surveyed bi-weekly during the shrimp season, March-July.

Currently, we are waiting for exports to retake to implement the follow-up survey. While waiting for exports to retake, we explored the baseline data and studied other issues (see also working papers and work in progress).

SURVEY SET-UP

Each round of the survey consists of bi-weekly visits to the sampled households during the months April, May, June and July. These months make up the peak of the shrimp season. The survey includes several modules. Some of the modules are repeated each time;others are implemented only once:

Bi-weekly modules (= implemented during every bi-weekly visit):

1. "Dépenses+15ans": Expenditures and savings of all household members ≥ 15 years old
2. "Revenus+15ans": Income from economic activities, rents and other sources of all household members ≥ 15 years old
3. "Activité_pêche": Details on the fishing activity of one fishermen in the household (if present), i.e. input, outputs and details on 3 latest transactions
4. "Activité_mareyage": Details on the trading or processing activity of one trader/processor in the household (if present), i.e. input, outputs and details on 3 latest transactions

One-time modules (= implemented only once):

1. "Individus+15ans": a census of all individuals ≥ 15 years old in the household & some basic individual characteristics
2. "Pêche": information on individual income from activities in the fishery sector and the distribution of this income throughout the year
3. "Opinion_Mareyeuse": the opinion of the traders in the fishery sector wrt the recent and upcoming events
4. "Opinion_Pêcheur": the opinion of the fishermen wrt the recent and upcoming events
5. "Biens Possédés": an inventory of durable goods owned by the household
6. "Varia+15ans": information on human and social capital for all individuals ≥ 15 years old
7. "Enfants": a census of all children ≤14 years old in the household as well as information with respect to their human capital (health, education) and economic activities
8. "Epargnes&Crédit+15ans": information on individual savings and credit and its distribution throughout the year
9. "Transfers, Associations and Investments"
10. "ActivitésEconomiques+15ans": information on individual incomes from economic activities and the distribution of these activities throughout the year + information on membership of associations + information on transfers received and given
11. "Shocks&Mobilité": information on shocks that affected the household since 2002, household perception on its income mobility since 2002 as well as the distribution of income across income sources and throughout the year
12. Elevage,Agriculture&RessourcesNaturelles": information on ownership of livestock and land and household income derived from it, as well as sustainability of fishing activity

SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION

Download a 4-page summary to find out more about the scientific contribution of our research project

INITIATORS OF THE PROJECT

Romain Houssa

Marijke Verpoorten

Jo Swinnen

LOCAL PARTNERS

In Benin we work in close collaboration with the Direction of Statistics and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries .

For the fieldwork we employ 30 interviewers, 3 supervisors, 6 persons for data input, 1 general manager and 1 financial administrator

Here is a list of some of our resource persons:

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank:

• Geert Dhaene for his valuable input for the sample design and survey set-up.
• Jean-Philippe Platteau and Jean-Marie Baland for their advice with respect to the survey set-up.
• Lore Vandewalle and and Michel Tenikue for advice on the use of CSPRO
• Vincent Somville for sharing his experience with fieldwork in Benin
• the members of LICOS for their useful comments on the survey set-up during a number of meetings.
• LICOS and FWO-Vlaanderen for financial support
• Martha Negash, Abhimanyu Arora, Koen Deconinck, Elena Briones Alonso and Nik Stoop for their help with cleaning the baseline data
• Vincent Defaux, specialist in fisheries and aquaculture development projects, for his advice and useful input with respect to the survey set-up and sampling
• Katrien Holvoet (FAO) for sharing her expertise on gender issues in Benin's fishery sector
• Mr. Gnimadi (private consultant) and Katrien Holvoet (FAO) for the use of the 2006 fisheries census.

Gnimadi A., Gbaguidi A., Kakpo G. L.A., Gnimadi C. C., Leffi Salifou L., Sohou Z., Tossou, E. C., 2006, “Base de données sur les activités de pêche dans le lac Ahémé, le lac Nokoué et la lagune de Porto-Novo au Sud du Bénin”, exécuté par Laboratoire d’Expertise et de Recherche en Développement (Cotonu), commandé par le Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Elevage et de la Pêche (Direction des Pêches) et le Programme pour des Moyens d’Existence Durable dans la Pêche (PMEDP).