Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, March 1999

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Palmeraie jardin as a sustainable alternative for oil palm production
by Paolo Segalla

The traditional agro-forestry system of Porto Novo in Southeastern Benin, which is known as 'palmeraie jardin' (oil palm garden), is described and analyzed in this article. The author suggests that this oil palm management system, if adapted, could be a sustainable alternative to the present systems of oil palm management.

This article is based on my own experience working in Benin in 1992-1994. I was struck by the amazing beauty of the traditional agro-forestry system involving oil palms, and when I studied it and compared it with the oil palm management system currently practised in the region, I became convinced of the value of the traditional system, especially for resource-poor farmers.

The oil palm forest
The system is commonly called 'palmeraie jardin' ('oil palm forest') or 'palmeraie naturelle' ('natural oil palm system'). But it is not a natural system; its roots go back to the development policy of the 19 th -century Porto Novo king Toffa (Dissou 1988). The oldest examples of palmeraie jardin are to be found in the middle of Benin and southward along the road to Quidah. These are currently degraded, however.
The most typical palmeraie jardins that are still functioning are to be found in the plateau of Porto Novo, and cover about 40,000 hectares. The type of palm cultivated in this system is Dura. It reproduces naturally and is extremely well suited to the dry conditions of the area (in good years, only 1200 mm of rain a year). Palm density varies from 200 to 600 trees per hectare. The lower density occurs when palms are grown in association with annual food crops; when no annuals are cultivated and the ground beneath the trees lies fallow, randomly distributed palms of different ages can reach densities of up to 600 per hectare. The farmer is the decision-maker who determines which density and spatial distribution is needed to meet present and future needs. The palmeraie jardin constitutes a very sustainable farming system with positive effects on soil fertility during periods of cultivation as well as fallow. No chemical input is required. The Dura palm protects the soil from erosion and improves the soil's natural fertility with the help of superficial roots which retain nutrients.
Under palmeraie jardin, annual fruit yields reach an estimated three tonnes per hectare. The market value of this fruit is about 30,000 francs (XOF) per hectare, and twice that if the fruit is processed into oil.

Oil palm development policy
Over the past 50 years, the rural development policy of Southern Benin has been aimed at increasing palm oil production. The national oil palm research institute in Pobé, Station de Recherche sur le Palmier à Huile (SRPH), concentrated on improved varieties. The Tenera (Hybrid F1 of Dura x Pisifera) was considered to be the most suitable one. To introduce this variety, various strategies were tried, one of which was the compulsory cooperative planting of Tenera varieties using an industrial model (Dissou 1988). The latest extension strategy has been an attempt to integrate the outcomes of genetic research into the traditional system (Houssou 1991). Interestingly, this effort to increase productivity by replacing Dura with Tenera varieties nevertheless respected the basic features of the traditional palmeraie jardin model. Improved technology for the processing of oil by women's organizations was also promoted through the development of small presses. The system was tested with small farmers from 1992 to 1996 by the NGOs CESTAS, CARDER Ouémé and SRPH (CESTAS 1994). None of these extension efforts proved effective, however, and nowadays a certain air of disappointment surrounds oil palm development.
On the basis of analysis, I think there are at least two good reasons to promote the Tenera palm among farmers with large or medium-sized land holdings.
- The productive performance of the Tenera palm is good to excellent, in terms of both fruit yields and oil content: up to five tonnes of fruit per hectare and with a far higher concentration of oil than the traditional variety.
- If carefully managed, this productive performance ensures an income much higher than palmeraie jardin using the traditional variety: twice as high if the fruit is sold, and more than twice as high if the fruit is processed into oil (SRPH 1988) (see photo 1, 2 and 3).

But the use of this variety within this system poses insurmountable problems for small, resource-poor farmers. Palmeraie jardin using Tenera requires inputs of capital from beginning to end as well as the capacity to survive a period without any income. Seedlings of the Tenera variety must be purchased in private nurseries certified by SRPH, and the trees need fertilizer throughout their lifetime. Without constant fertilization the improved varieties yield less than traditional varieties, worsening the economic position of small farmers. Cultivating the improved varieties also requires constant technical support. A third disadvantage of Tenera is that it requires a much more rigid system. Tenera palms grown in association with food crops are planted with a fixed density of 80 trees per hectare, and they are cultivated solely for the production of oil. This is why I think that small resource-poor farmers would greatly benefit from a development strategy based on the traditional palmeraie jardin system or its more recent elaboration, but also based on the Dura palm. This offers the following advantages:
- Huge investments are not required, neither financial nor technical.
- Flexibility is possible.
- The farmer's autonomy is assured. He can decide whether or not to fell a tree for wine extraction, for example, which will give him one-time earnings four to six times higher than selling the fruit of one year.
- Under this system, farmers can raise capital by pawning their trees through a traditional practice known as 'gage'. The person who loans them money exploits the trees until the loan is repaid.

The only disadvantage of the palmeraie jardin system using the Dura palm remains its lower productivity compared with the improved varieties. But on balance, the sustainability and the autonomy associated with the traditional system make this the best development alternative for small, resource-poor farmers.

Paolo Segalla
Via Goito 4
26041 Casalmaggiore
Italy
Tel./fax: + 39-375-400 51.
E-mail: segalla@una.org

References
- CARDER Ouémé (1994) Prix à la consommation. Donnés statistiques. Porto-Novo: CARDER.
- CESTAS (1994) Projet d'appui aux petit paysans dans les villages de l'Ouémé, Bénin. Project intermediate report. Bologna: CESTAS.
- Dissou, M. (1988) Economie de la culture du palmier à huile. Abidjan: Les Nouvelles Editions Africaines.
- Houssou, M. (1991) La rénovation de la palmeraie naturelle. Journées de Reflexion sur la Réhabilitation de la Filiére Palmier à Huile. Cotonou: MDR.
- SRPH (1988) Synthése des résultats et acquis de recherche. Pobé: SRPH.

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