Multi-usage familial et agriculture de firme sur les rives du lac Tchad : une comparaison des performances économiques

Multi-use of space in family farming versus large-scale agricultural projects: a comparison of economic performance

¹ Géographie, AgroParisTech, UMR8586 Prodig, Paris, France
² Agriculture comparée, AgroParisTech, UMR8586 Prodig, Paris, France

^* Auteur correspondant: charline.range@gmail.com

Reçu : 16 Septembre 2016
Accepté : 5 Octobre 2017

Résumé

L’agriculture de firme et les modèles de type « révolution verte » sont promus par les pouvoirs publics pour la hausse de la production, de la croissance et de l’emploi qu’ils sont censés offrir dans les pays du Sud. Partant du cas des rives camerounaises du lac Tchad, cet article propose une comparaison, rarement faite, de deux modes de mise en valeur d’un même milieu relevant de logiques économiques et sociales radicalement différentes : le multi-usage agro-halio-pastoral de l’espace (mode d’exploitation actuel) et la monoculture de maïs (projet d’agropôle). En s’appuyant sur les fondamentaux que sont l’étude des pratiques agro-halio-pastorales et l’analyse du processus de création de la valeur ajoutée, l’article montre que le système familial actuel dégage une richesse équivalente à celle attendue de la firme tout en créant trois fois plus d’emplois et en offrant de meilleurs revenus.

Abstract

Large-scale agricultural projects, which are based on land ownership concentration and agricultural specialization, are currently being promoted in developing countries. Considered as the way to a modernized agriculture, they are expected to actively contribute to increasing production, growth and employment, especially in African wetland areas. The present article examines the Cameroon part of lake Chad and provides a comparison, rarely addressed, of two dramatically different forms of exploitation: multi-use of space through recession agriculture, pastoralism and fishing (currently practiced by small-scale farmers) and large-scale specialized cropping (agropole project currently promoted by the state). We first critically examine the arguments in favour of the agropole project by a brief reviewing of the current literature. We then describe the two forms of exploitation of lake Chad environment. Lastly we compare the family farming systems to the maize specialized agricultural firm in terms of economic performance. Stemming from basics such as (1) the careful examination of cropping, pastoral herding and fishing practices, and (2) the analysis of how added-value is created, our study shows that the wealth produced by family farming systems based on multi-use of space equals the one expected to be produced by the agricultural firm, while creating three times more employment. This result is of particular importance in the current context in which the Boko Haram crisis seems to have renewed the arguments in favour of large-scale agricultural projects.