Achieving healthy and profitable production through collective action? The case of vegetable farmers in the French West Indies.

Given the multiple challenges that agriculture faces, collective action is a potential pathway towards more sustainable agriculture. This article aims to contribute to the literature by assessing the extent to which collective action can meet the objective of both healthy and profitable production in the French West Indies. To do so, we call on the theory of collective action and emphasise the role of formal and informal collectives in achieving the objectives of improving income and implementing agroecological practices. We use original data collected in 2022 from 409 vegetable farmers in Martinique and Guadeloupe. We consider the interdependence between farmers' economic and environmental objectives through a simultaneous equations model. We characterise the diversity of collectives according to their degree of formalisation and to the adequacy between the objectives pursued by these collectives and the individual objectives of their members. Our results show that the achievement of an individual objective is fostered by its adequacy with the objective set by the collective and also, to a certain extent, by the degree of formalisation of this collective. It appears that achieving individual objectives is based on sharing common objectives as well as having collective rules. More particularly, we find that producer organisations - collectives considered to be the most formal - best meet the objectives of improving income and adopting agroecological practices. However, in the French West Indies, the instability of such collectives and the organisational deficiencies of the sector call into question their real long-term impact. These findings contribute to a better understanding of farmers' decision-making and provide relevant policy implications for supporting agricultural collectives in managing and federating producers towards achieving a more healthy and profitable production.

Control of vegetable pests in Benin - Farmers' preferences for eco-friendly nets as an alternative to insecticides.

We investigated if eco-friendly nets (EFNs) are a viable and acceptable alternative to extremely high levels of insecticide use in vegetable production. Using a choice experiment, we found that vegetable producing farmers in Benin preferred all of the characteristics of EFNs except the higher labor requirements. The nets had been distributed in a trial phase for free but in the long run farmers would need to purchase the EFNs. The break-even point for investing in nets was found to vary with the lifespan of EFNs, their purchase price and potential health benefits from avoiding large quantities of insecticides. To break even the nets need to be used for at least two production cycles. To overcome risk-averse farmer's reluctance to adopt EFNs we propose a credit and warranty scheme along with the purchase of the nets. The study's findings can guide the implementation of EFNs in other African countries as part of integrated pest management with global benefits for the environment and human health.

Municipal solid waste management in Africa: strategies and livelihoods in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

This paper provides an overview of the state of municipal solid waste (MSW) management in the capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé, and suggests some possible solutions for its improvement. The institutional, financial, and physical aspects of MSW management, as well as the livelihoods of the population, were analyzed. Our study revealed that distances and lack of infrastructure have a major impact on waste collection. Garbage bins are systematically mentioned as the primary infrastructure needed by the population in all quarters, whether it be a high or low standard community. The construction of transfer stations and the installation of garbage bins are suggested as a solution to reduce distances between households and garbage bins, thus improving waste collection vehicle accessibility. Transfer stations and garbage bins would enable the official waste collection company to expand its range of services and significantly improve waste collection rates. Several transfer stations have already been set up by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), but they require technical, institutional and funding support. Research is needed on the quality and safety of community-made compost, as well as on soil fertility in urban and peri-urban areas. Most of the stakeholders, municipalities, the official waste collection company and households acknowledge the need for better monitoring and regulation of MSW management. The urban community of Yaoundé also needs to maintain its support of MSW management and promote the sustainability of NGOs and CBOs operating in underserved areas not yet covered by adequate infrastructures. A major opportunity for implementation of such waste policy is the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) program dedicated to urban planning and good governance.