ANALYSIS OF INDIGENOUS PERCEPTIONS OF THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO SOIL DEGRADATION IN THE 2 KP COMMUNES (KOUANDÉ, KÉROU AND PÉHUNCO), NORTHWESTERN BENIN

In the communes of Kouandé, Kérou and Péhunco (2 KP), soil degradation is a major concern for farming communities. This study analyses indigenous perceptions of the factors responsible for soil degradation in these three communes. The methodological approach combined a literature review, field observations and surveys of local stakeholders. A sample of 364 farming households was determined using the Schwartz (1995) method, with a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error. The data collected were analysed using the Importance Value (IV) and the Consensus Value (UCs) proposed by Byg and Balslev (2001), together with Correspondence Factor Analysis (CFA).
The results show that 45.71% of respondents considered the land to be poorly fertile, compared with 37.60% who considered it fertile and 16.97% very fertile. Among the direct factors, farming practices had the highest importance value (IV = 0.43), followed by forest exploitation (IV = 0.20) and erosion (IV = 0.15), while hunting (IV = 0.05) was perceived as having low importance; the highest consensus value was recorded for farming practices (UCs = 0.87). Among the indirect factors, population growth (IV = 0.45) and urbanisation (IV = 0.25) ranked highest, with consensus values of 0.90 and 0.50 respectively. CFA revealed variations in perceptions across the communes: erosion and hunting were more strongly associated with Kouandé, farming practices and livestock farming with Kérou, and forest exploitation and climate with Péhunco. For the indirect factors, urbanisation and land tenure were associated with Kérou, population growth with Kouandé, and agricultural colonisation together with natural-resource-management policy with Péhunco. The study shows that farming practices and population growth are perceived as the principal factors of soil degradation in the 2 KP communes.