Impact of market information systems on the income of Cowpea farmers in the Senegalese groundnut basin

To overcome marketing constraints, farmers are increasingly using the Market Information Systems (MIS).These collect, process and disseminate information on the situation and dynamics of agricultural markets.Despite their importance, MIS is not widely used in the Senegalese agricultural context.This paper aims to evaluate the economic impact of the Market Information System on the income of cowpea farmers in the Senegalese groundnut basin.For this purpose, we conducted a survey of 105 cowpea farmers established in the groundnut basin using yeuggl MIS.Also, a group of 120 cowpea farmers who were not using the MIS was included in the study to constitute the counter factual.The results of the average effect of treatment on treaties (ATT) show a positive impact of the use of MIS on the income of cowpea farmers in the groundnut basin.In fact, the use of MIS enabled farmers to improve their income by an additional 28,030 FCFA where the average income is 67,071 FCFA, i.e. an increase of 42% and 46 % compared to untreated.Cowpea farmers, who are users of the MIS therefore earn more income insofar as they are more aware of product prices in different markets.As a result, they make better trade-offs in time (time of sale) and in space (sales market) compared to other farmers not using MIS.Clearly, MIS users negotiate better in the market because of their level of information.