ABSTRACT
There is a consensus within the international community, since
the World Food Conference convened in 1974 by the United Nations following the
food crisis of 1973-1975, on the right to food for everyone. This consensus
reaffirmed at the 1996 World Food Summit (WFS) in 2000 and the Millennium
Development Goals. In the last two occasions, the international community has
set itself the primary objective of halving the number of people suffering from
hunger by 2015. Despite the acceptance, recognition of the right to food, the
commitment and the implementation of projects or programs with components of
the fight against food insecurity and nutrition, the number of people suffering
food insecurity, especially in sub-Saharan Africa continues to increase. Benin,
like all other countries of the region faced with this situation of food
insecurity, especially in rural areas. In order to contribute to the targeting
of vulnerable households to food and nutrition insecurity, which is the
bottleneck in the response of most projects or programs, this study, is
proposed to analyze the food security situation and vulnerability of households
in the commune of Ouaké. A town situated in the department (Donga) from
which departments revealed by studies departments as having a high rate of
households vulnerable to food insecurity, about 19% (AGVSAN, 2009). The study
used quantitative and qualitative data collected from 220 households. These
data supplemented by secondary data from various sources. The data analysis has
enabled us to grasp the food situation of households surveyed to understand the
cause of the inability of certain segments of the population to take well
charge of the food point of view. The estimation of vulnerable populations has
been possible thanks to the generalized formula of the poverty index developed
by Foster et al. (1984). This formula has helped define new concepts of food
poverty. Thus, the concepts are determined independent of grain poverty,
poverty apparent grain, cereal real poverty and food poverty. According to the
results of the study, 23.16% of the surveyed households are poor self ie 23.16%
of the units surveyed do not, on the basis of their own grain production, grain
need to cover their estimated Benin by FAO to 206 kg of grain per person /
year. According to the same result, 20.95% of the study population are poor
grain apparent, in other words, 20.95% of the surveyed households do not cover
their cereal needs despite the use of their stock and market participation
(flux buying and selling). Finally, 18.33% of the sample, in spite of their own
domestic production, the use of their stock, their participation in the market
(buying and selling flows) and the solidarity mechanism (balance between
donation and received ) fail to
VII
Thèse d'ingénieur agronome/FA/UP/2010
Situation alimentaire et vulnérabilité des
ménages de la commune de Ouaké
satisfy their need grain.
The analysis of the food situation, which includes in addition
to cereals, tubers, roots and legumes, revealed that 15.17% of units surveyed
do not cover their need for food crops, thus are poor food. The result of the
analysis that integrates energy poverty in addition to foodstuffs, products and
by-products (meat, milk, eggs ...) showed that 14.53% of the surveyed
households are unable to meet their energy needs, so they are vulnerable to
food insecurity. According to the classification level of vulnerability defined
by WFP based on thresholds of vulnerability, the study showed that 12.3% of
14.53% of vulnerable households are extremely vulnerable. When considering the
demographic and economic characteristics of vulnerable households, we see that
they are on average relatively larger size (16 against 12 persons for
non-vulnerable). In addition, they operate a small area (3 ha cons about 4 ha
for non-vulnerable) and are mostly illiterate. The study also examined the
determinants of the ability to cover household grain and it appears that
factors such as the size of the household, the amount allocated to each cereal
crop are the elements that affect the ability of households
to cover their need grain.
Keywords: poor grain autonomous, poor grain
apparent, real poor grain, poor food, poor energy.
VIII
Thèse d'ingénieur agronome/FA/UP/2010
Situation alimentaire et vulnérabilité des
ménages de la commune de Ouaké
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