WOMEN AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN IVORY COAST: THE CASE OF AQUACULTURE

Kouadio Nanan Kouamé Félix *, Aboya Narcisse, Yao Kouassi Aimé
 
 Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University (Korhogo, Ivory Coast)
 Department of Geography
 BP 1328 Korhogo
 E-mail: k_felix2008@yahoo.fr
 

Since its independence in 1960, Côte d'Ivoire has made agriculture the pillar of its development. The propaganda remarks of his first president, who states that the country's success is based on agriculture, are an illustration of this. Thus, after the colonial period, several coordinated state actions (including the establishment of agricultural services, training and agronomic research centers, seed distribution, etc.) of the population to areas of agricultural production in search of arable land for the practice not only of export crops but also of food crops.

This race for agriculture has a strong presence of women especially in food production when they do not assist their spouses in the industrial field (Koné, 2003). According to the 2001 National Census of Agriculture (NAS), they accounted for 49.20% of the proportion of farmers in Côte d'Ivoire (compared with 50.80% for men); according to the same source, they were the majority in food production. However, this strong representation of women in the Ivorian agricultural sector is experiencing profound disparities in their distribution within the sector. Sectors are neglected while others are heavily involved. This is particularly true of aquaculture, where women producers have very little presence; nevertheless, defined superficially as the water culture according to ENITA (1998), it is also considered as an agricultural practice.

The general question of the study on aquaculture development is why, unlike other sectors of agriculture, women are poorly represented in the field of aquaculture in Côte d'Ivoire? Its main aim is to show why women are not very active in aquaculture production in Côte d'Ivoire. To achieve this objective, the study is based on documentary research and field surveys carried out in selected areas according to reasoned choices.

Our investigations confirm the hypothesis of the low representation of women in aquaculture production in relation to a diversity of elements that are not favorable to their strong presence in the sector. These factors are the complexity of aquaculture production techniques for a generally illiterate female population, the problems of access to the production spaces to which they are confronted, the absence of an aquaculture tradition that is difficult to surmount for women concerned about the insurance of the daily pittance of the family. On the other hand, our study reveals their strong involvement in the distribution of products from aquaculture.