ERG Syal Publications in a glance

  • Rapport de synthèse
  • Evolution des styles alimentaires à Dakar
  • La construction de la qualité des produits alimentaires
  • Le poisson fumé sur la Petite Côte sénégalaise
  • Approches et méthodes
  • La transformation artisanale de l’huile de palme au Bénin et au Nigeria
  • Consommation alimentaire des ménages urbains au Bénin
  • Les pratiques alimentaires à Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • L’attiéké au Bénin
  • L’aspiration au changement alimentaire à Cotonou, Bénin
  • Production et commercialisation de l’afitin fon dans la région d’Abomey-Bohicon au Bénin
  • New issue of the journal
  • The reinterpretation of the agri-food system and its spatial dynamics through the industrial district
  • Apprendre à innover dans un monde incertain
  • Alimentos e Manifestações Culturais
  • Sistemas Agroalimentarios Localizados en America Latina. Alternativas para el desarrollo territorial
  • Methods and Procedures for Building Sustainable Farming Systems
  • Agriregionieuropa - Numero 30 - Settembre 2012
  • Investigación e innovación en el sector del aceite de oliva en España
  • NEW BOOK: Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century: The New Dynamic
  • La Innovacion en el sector Agroalimentario Euroregional Galicia-Norte de Portugal
  • Quality: A multi and interdisciplinary perspective
  • A proposal for analysing the performance of agricultural processing cooperatives
  • Group heterogeneity and cooperation on the geographical indication regulation: The case of the ‘‘Prosciutto di Parma’’ Consortium
  • International Marketing and Trade of Protected Designation of Origin Products
  • Processes of qualification and spillover effects: the case of Prosciutto di Parma Pdo
  • Geografi ska ursprungsbeteckningar - En preliminär reflektion
  • D’une production localisée à une indication géographique en Amazonie : les enjeux écologiques de la production de farinha de Cruzeiro do Sul
  • Perspectivas Rurales
  • François Boucher evoca Syal en el momento de su visita en Bolivia
  • Local Agri-food Systems in a Global World: Market, Social and Environmental Challenges
  • De la leche al queso: queserías rurales de América Latina
  • SEGREDO DA TERRA  - A New Food System in a New Economy
  • SEGREDO DA TERRA - One or more Organic Agricultures?
  • Sviluppo rurale sostenibile / Sustainable rural development
  • Gastronomins (politiska) geografi
  • Guía metodológica para la activación de sistemas agroalimentarios localizados (sial)

FR | Consommation alimentaire des ménages urbains au Bénin

Publications & Resources

Consommation alimentaire des ménages urbains au Bénin
Mitchikpè Comlan Evariste
Atègbo Eric-Alain Dona
Fanou A. Joseph
Nago C. Mathurin

The consumption and food habits of urban households in Benin. This paper presents a study conducted in Benin's main towns which aims to identify household food habits and to set up an observatory to monitor their evolution. The investigation involved an interview based on a questionnaire at household level and discussions with a panel. The questionnaire focused on the kind of food consumed by household members, preparation, and consumption practices. The group discussions concerned the nature of the dishes eaten, their preparation, food conservation, quality control, and the processing activities which give women social recognition. Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Abomey-Bohicon, Parakou Lokossa, and Savè are the six main towns where the interviews were conducted of which three (Cotonou, Parakou, and Abomey-Bohicon) were selected for the discussions. Maize, yam, and cassava are the staple foods in these towns. The consumption patterns found in each locality depend on the ecological environment. Therefore, maize is the staple food in Cotonou, Lokossa, Porto-Novo, and Abomey-Bohicon, whereas yam is the staple food in Parakou. However, in Savè there are three staple foods: maize, yam, and cassava. The current food prices also seem to play an important role in terms of the choice of commodities at household level. In urban areas in Benin, 37-52% of household expenses are spent on food regardless of income.

Food is generally prepared at midday and in the evening when foods are processed into pastry or purée and accompanied with various sauces. Food preparation is essentially done by the women. The men buy the cereals, roots, and tubers from wholesalers. Each household has its own special practices. Each housewife has her own quality standards for choosing raw foods which depend on her sociocultural background. Subsistence farming and women's involvement in food preparation is more common in the North and becomes less common the further south you go. Individual consumption and western practices are more evident in southern towns where households have been exposed to foreign practices. Stakeholders and public or private services with experience in this field will be consulted when it comes to choosing the parameters used to measure urban household consumption patterns. 

Alimentation, savoir-faire et innovation en agroalimentaire en Afrique de l'Ouest

Created 28.05.13 Updated 28.05.13