A Socio-Historical Look at Agricultural Policy Reform in Benin (West Africa) since 1960: A Literature Review

Since Benin’s accession to national sovereignty and its entry into the market economy, the governance of the agricultural sector has undergone major transformations to meet the challenges it faces. These changes have led to the experimentation of various developmental approaches to the dominant ideology of each period. However, the various agricultural policies initiated by the government seem to have led to inconclusive results in terms of boosting the Beninese agricultural sector. Here, we critically analyze Benin’s agricultural reforms from 1960 to the present by reviewing the available literature on the subject. The results show that the main changes identified relate to the alignment of agricultural policies with the directives of external powers and national orientations, as well as an overhaul of the sector’s governance structures. Recently, the institutional reforms undertaken have essentially been summarized in the territorialization of agricultural development, the rationalization of the institutional landscape, and the liberalization of advisory services. However, the agricultural sector is still characterized by a certain immobility despite the claimed reforms with an apparent participatory approach to its governance. The effective consideration of the aspirations of all stakeholders in the implementation of reforms is key to ensuring ownership of agricultural policies.