Socio-economic Diagnosis of Ornamental Horticulture in Togo

Production systems in ornamental horticulture in Togo are very diverse in terms of
speculation, access to land (variable surfaces, direct or indirect forms of tenure, acquisition
methods and land use, etc.) and socio-economic profiles of farmers (men, women, young, old,
people with little or no qualifications, rural to urban, etc.). The family horticultural production system, which represents over 90% of 55 horticultural farms of this study, is the
main production system. It is characterized by areas of less than 0.1 hectare and farms in
relative land insecurity (97% of land used to belong to the state). Throughout the system,
there is a salaried labor representing 5-8% of turnover. Temporary and permanent employees
are paid on weekends or at the end of the month. Farmers use gardening equipment and
processing plant more or less modern including clippers, shears, pruners and sprayers.
Production units provide direct employment (more than 3 employees per unit) and directly to
several hundred people. Horticulture in urban and peri-urban areas improves the living
conditions of farmers (income) and the population (embellishment of streets, maintenance or
creation of green areas buffer) despite some negative externalities associated particularly with
the use of prohibited pesticides and uncontrolled use of spaces along the roads. Its survival is
threatened by many constraints, including the extension of urban housing and road building.
In Togo, beneficial effects of ornamental horticulture may be more noticeable if the political
authorities, private stakeholders and the researchers work together to organize the sector. It
could thus participate effectively in the formal economy, and the emergence of true
development plans at the municipal level.