Analysis of the profitability prospects of the extensive cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. in the Eastern transition agro-ecological zone of Senegal: The case of the rural community of Dialacoto

摘要

The profitability prospects of the three main modes of extensive cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. in the Rural Community of Dialacoto were studied on 24 farms from 2008 to 2012. In the best tended peasant plantations aged four or five years the dry seed yield obtained in sole cropping was less than 200 kg/ha. Under these conditions, it is very unlikely that the yield achieved in sole cropping exceeds 800 kg/ha in full production. The average yield per meter of live fences older than fifteen years was 0.9 kg/m. Considering the purchase price of jatropha seeds in 2012 in Senegal (65 F CFA/kg – 0.1 euro/kg), and given the bad productivity and the low precocity of the available planting material, the cultivation of jatropha (as a sole crop or in intercropping) is far less profitable than the main cropping system practiced in the region (groundnut/pearl millet/sorghum/cotton rotation with input application). Any improvement in the economic performance of the production of jatropha seeds requires the selection of varieties that are early, hardy and productive. The establishment of living hedges is for the moment the only installation method that can be recommended to farmers. In addition to providing supplementary income related to seed harvest, hedgerows provide different non-monetary benefits appreciated by farmers: land demarcation, soil protection against wind and water erosion, improved soil water balance and windbreak effect favourable to crop development, crop protection against wandering ruminants, and enclosure for the cattle.