Impact of Land Security on Household’s Agricultural Productivity in Benin

Abstract

This paper aims at studying the impact of land tenure on household’s agricultural productivity in Benin. Data used in this study come from EMICOV (Enquête Modulaire Intégrée sur les Conditions de Vie des Ménages) collected in 2012 and covered 626 Benin’s farming households. The method used is the Conditional Mixed Process (CMP) technic approach. Results show that land certificate ownership increases by 0.238 the likelihood of investing in agricultural equipment whereas the customary law ownership increases this likelihood by 0.374 compared to households without any land ownership (the squatters). Furthermore, the customary law ownership provides farmers with more security than land certificate ownership in “Collines” region. Our results suggest that public authorities recognise customary rights and reinforce legal land institutions. Finally, the best land market structure could reduce challenges related to land access and inequalities related to land resources distribution.