TY - JOUR
T1 - Use and economic benefits of indigenous seasonal climate forecasts
T2 - evidence from Benin, West Africa
AU - Amegnaglo, Cocou Jaurès
AU - Mensah-Bonsu, Akwasi
AU - Anaman, Kwabena Asomanin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Since immemorial times, farmers especially in Africa have built and transmitted orally from one generation to another a complex network of seasonal climate knowledge enabling them to lower climate variabilities and vagaries. Despite the prominent role of this knowledge system in smallholder farming, empirical studies relative to the production process, use and economic valuation of this knowledge to inform decision-making are scanty. Travel cost method, descriptive statistics and a two-step Heckman method are used to analyse the use and economic value of indigenous seasonal climate forecasts (ISCF) in Benin. ISCF were produced based on the observation of abiotic and biotic indicators in Kandi, Glazoué and Zè with the observations largely undertaken by local elders and professional traditional forecasters. Most farmers got ISCF either by travelling to visit a source of knowledge or by sacrificing their time. The use of ISCF increased a maize producer's net income by at least 3%, implying that ISCF are valuables goods. The main factors driving the use and value of ISCF were the use of fertilizer, large farm size, traditional African religions and access to market. Therefore, policy to promote the integration of indigenous forecasting knowledge with modern forecasting system should be taken.
AB - Since immemorial times, farmers especially in Africa have built and transmitted orally from one generation to another a complex network of seasonal climate knowledge enabling them to lower climate variabilities and vagaries. Despite the prominent role of this knowledge system in smallholder farming, empirical studies relative to the production process, use and economic valuation of this knowledge to inform decision-making are scanty. Travel cost method, descriptive statistics and a two-step Heckman method are used to analyse the use and economic value of indigenous seasonal climate forecasts (ISCF) in Benin. ISCF were produced based on the observation of abiotic and biotic indicators in Kandi, Glazoué and Zè with the observations largely undertaken by local elders and professional traditional forecasters. Most farmers got ISCF either by travelling to visit a source of knowledge or by sacrificing their time. The use of ISCF increased a maize producer's net income by at least 3%, implying that ISCF are valuables goods. The main factors driving the use and value of ISCF were the use of fertilizer, large farm size, traditional African religions and access to market. Therefore, policy to promote the integration of indigenous forecasting knowledge with modern forecasting system should be taken.
KW - Indigenous seasonal climate forecasts
KW - maize
KW - total expenses approach
KW - usefulness
KW - valuation of forecasts
KW - weak complementary assumption
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123473862&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17565529.2022.2027740
DO - 10.1080/17565529.2022.2027740
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85123473862
SN - 1756-5529
VL - 14
SP - 909
EP - 920
JO - Climate and Development
JF - Climate and Development
IS - 10
ER -