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Ecological sustainability and environmental risks of agricultural intensification in inland valleys in Benin

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Abstract

To meet food demand after the failure of irrigation system developments, agricultural intensification is occurring in inland valley agro-ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural enhancement in inland valleys, which undermines environmental sustainability, was assessed using ‘Driving Force–Pressure–State–Impact–Response’ approach in four agro-ecological zones of Benin. The survey revealed that inland valleys are largely devoid of ligneous species. Crop residues are mainly transferred from inland valley fields to feed cattle, burnt in situ by the farmers themselves or abandoned to wildfires or to pasture—not mulched. Crop diversification is not universal and is limited to rice and vegetables crops. Monocropping of rice, practised by 83.3% of inland valley farmers, requires large chemical fertilizer application despite their impacts on environment including land degradation and water contamination. A major challenge is to determine means of characterizing entire agro-ecosystems of inland valleys in a way that is simple enough to be effectively and efficiently monitored. Inland valley agricultural development projects might include backstopping activities and policies that enable monitoring of chemical inputs and farming practices in inland valleys to reduce negative impacts on the environment and human health.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the European Commission through the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) under Grant C-ECG-65-WARDA; and the CGIAR Consortium Research Program (CRP) on rice, the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP). The authors would like to thank Elliott Dossou-Yovo and Guy Manners for helpful comments on the manuscript. We are also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), 01 BP 2031, Cotonou, Benin

    Justin F. Djagba

  2. International Chair in Mathematical Physics and Applications (ICMPA-UNESCO Chair), University of Abomey-Calavi, 072 BP 50, Cotonou, Benin

    Justin F. Djagba

  3. Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, Netherlands

    Sander J. Zwart

  4. Laboratory Pierre Pagney ‘Climate, Water, Ecosystems and Development’ (LACEEDE), University of Abomey-Calavi, BP 922, Abomey-Calavi, Benin

    Christophe S. Houssou

  5. Biogeography and Environmental Expertise Laboratory (LABEE), University of Abomey-Calavi, BP 677, Abomey-Calavi, Benin

    Brice H. A. Tenté

  6. Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), 01 BP 2551, Bouaké 01, Côte d’Ivoire

    Paul Kiepe

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Djagba, J.F., Zwart, S.J., Houssou, C.S. et al. Ecological sustainability and environmental risks of agricultural intensification in inland valleys in Benin. Environ Dev Sustain 21, 1869–1890 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0107-1

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