Characterizing agroecology’s practice in the Niayes, Senegal: A typology of agricultural models on family farms

Abstract

ABSTRACT Sustainable agriculture and agroecology are now essential to the discussion on agricultural models in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Considering this new dimension as different intensities of ecosystem services use within farming practices, we propose identifying how these forms of agriculture take shape in the region’s rural areas. Family farms’ socio-economic organizations can explain the adoption conditions of agroecology in these regions, and its success or failure. From data collected in the Niayes region in Senegal, we develop a typology of farms with different levels of agroecology, from none to advanced adoption, based on a Factor Analysis on Mixed Data (FAMD). It allows for characterizing how these levels relate to farm income, labor types, and off-farm activities, among others. Our results confirm the existence of an association between agroecology/family farming and conventional/employer forms of agriculture, as suggested by our hypothesis. However, they bring to light contrasted models that nuance the common archetypes linking family farming with agroecology. Thus, better-off households employing wage workers display certain levels of agroecology, while the most conventional farms present a higher deficit risk. These findings provide a better understanding of agroecology’s development in dynamic rural contexts such as the Niayes.