RT Journal Article
T1 Local Preferences for Shea Nut and Butter Production in Northern Benin: Preliminary Results
A1 Agúndez, Dolores
A1 Nouhoheflin, Théodore
A1 Coulibaly, Ousmane
A1 Soliño Millán, Mario
A1 Alía, Ricardo
AB Shea products in Benin (West Africa) are produced in a low-developed agroindustry, but they are estimated to be the country’s third largest export. The nut harvesting and quality guaranteeing in the butter process can only be achieved through improvements in the value chain, thus making it more attractive for stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to provide keys to a better product valorization, obtain a significant increase in household incomes based on shea butter marketing opportunities, and offer competitive products at the local and regional markets. Different markets were designed to catch processors and consumers’ preferences for two improved shea products: butter and nuts in Northern Benin. An open-ended contingent valuation (CV) was applied, and the willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept (WTA) were estimated by using a typical ordinary least squares (OLS) modelling approach. On local markets in Benin, the color, length, and weight of the nuts, as well as the color, smell, and texture of shea butter significantly influence, respectively, the processors’ willingness to accept and the consumers’ willingness to pay for a specific quality level. An increase in price would ensure the quality of the shea butter and would be covered by the premium to be paid by consumers. Certification design and the development of shea resources management and conservation programs should include ethnic preferences and consider gender, to avoid reducing women’s profits in the shea butter local market.
PB MDPI
SN 1999-4907
YR 2019
FD 2019
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12439
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12439
LA eng
NO Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional al Desarrollo (AECID)
NO INIA
NO FEADER
DS Docta Complutense
RD 12 abr 2025