Senegal
Testing WAW’s methodology in the Casamance region
WAW, at the request of Senegal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment, tested its comprehensive approach on farms in the Ziguinchor area of the Casamance region. The region’s economic development has been slowed by 30 years of political conflict, which has excluded it from many national programmes. The data came from a WAW questionnaire. To reduce the survey time involved, the questionnaire was developed using a combined quantitative and qualitative approach.
This typology helps us to understand that income does not depend solely on the size of the farm. Senegalese farms are classified by income category, from half the minimum wage to twice the minimum wage. The average total farmed area is no larger in the highest-income category. In fact, the area per agricultural worker is lower (0.4‒0.5 hectare) than in the low-income categories (0.6 hectare). The most diversified farms, which have both agricultural and non-agricultural activities, are those with the highest income levels.
