Sustainability of Post-Project Market Gardening Production Systems in the North of Côte d’Ivoire

ABSTRACT Description of the subject: Evaluating the sustainability of agricultural production systems is a major issue for sustainable development, especially in market gardening sectors supported by development projects. Objective: This study aims to analyze the sustainability of market gardening production systems following the implementation of the PROPACOM, PARFACI and PRO2M projects in the department of Korhogo. Methodology: A combined approach of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Thirteen beneficiary groups were surveyed through individual questionnaires and focus groups. Data were analyzed using the IDPM method (Indicators of Sustainability in Market Gardening), which evaluates agroecological, socio-territorial, and economic dimensions. In total, 260 producers mainly women were surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire and through three (3) focus group discussions. Results: The results show that most producers are women aged between 36 and 60, with low literacy levels. The production systems are characterized by intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Sustainability scores reveal that the PARFACI and PRO2M perimeters are more sustainable than those of PROPACOM in agroecological and socio-territorial dimensions. However, none of the assessed farms achieved satisfactory economic sustainability. Specifically, the transferability and viability components for the whole projects were revealed as extremely low to provide sustainability to the output of the actions leaded. Conclusion: Post-project farming systems face structural constraints, mainly due to limited technical and economic support, which undermines their long-term sustainability. As recommendations, it is imperative to focus on literacy among producers in order to reduce the illiteracy rate and facilitate the mastery of some necessary tools. It is also profitable to encourage the use of organic manure instead of chemical fertilizers, which are too expensive and often dangerous for health.