A presentation by Mauricio R. Bellon and Gervais Ntandou-Bouzitou. Find out more about this here: http://www.bioversityinternational.org/making_a_difference/stories-of-progress/showing-diversity-counts/

1. The tale of a tail:
About markets, on-farm diversity and
diets in rural households
Mauricio R. Bellon and Gervais Ntandou-Bouzitou

2. Three Dimensions of Agricultural Biodiversity
Dietary diversity
On-farm diversity Market diversity
Self-consumption
Sale
Purchase
Income
Food security & dietary quality
Ecosystem & Evolutionary
Services
determinants
determinants
determinants
Information flow

3. Plant species diversity by number of
households (grown and collected)
in southern Benin
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
ZeamaysL.
ManihotesculentaCrantz
Vignaunguiculata(L.)Walp.
ElaeisguineensisJacq.
SolanummacrocarponL.
Musaspp
ArachishypogaeaL.
CorchorusolitoriusL.
SolanumlycopersicumL.
Musaspp
Ananascomosus(L.)Merr.
Capsicumspp
MangiferaindicaL.
VernoniaamygdalinaDelile
Ipomoeabatatas(L.)Lam.
AmaranthuscruentusL.
CelosiaargenteaL.
Abelmoschusesculentus
CitrussinensisOsbeck
Glycinemax(L.)Merr.
VitexdonianaSweet
MoringaoleiferaLam.
CaricapapayaL.
PsidiumguajavaL.
AnacardiumoccidentaleL.
Colocasiaesculenta(L.)Schott
Dioscoreaspp
Irvingiagabonensisvar.…
Sorghumbicolor(L.)Moench
Vignasubterranea(L.)Verdc.
OcimumgratissimumL.
Citruslemon(L.)Burm.f.
Cajanuscajan(L.)Millsp.
Chrysophyllumalbidum
Launaeataraxacifolia
Parkiabiglobosa(Jacq.)G.Don
Crassocephalumspp
AnnonamuricataL.
PerseaamericanaP.Mill.
Solanumaethiopicum
Stachytarphetaindica
Citrusmaxima(Burm.)Merrill
SaccharumofficinarumL.
Source: Bellon and Ntandou-Bouzitou , unpublished data.
Total number of species= 43
Grown/collected > 50% of hh= 2
Grown/collected > 10% of hh= 18
Grown/collected< 10% of hh= 25
The tail

4. Plant species diversity by number of
households (grown and collected) in
southern Benin
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
ZeamaysL.
ManihotesculentaCrantz
Vignaunguiculata(L.)Walp.
ElaeisguineensisJacq.
SolanummacrocarponL.
Musaspp
ArachishypogaeaL.
CorchorusolitoriusL.
SolanumlycopersicumL.
Musaspp
Ananascomosus(L.)Merr.
Capsicumspp
MangiferaindicaL.
VernoniaamygdalinaDelile
Ipomoeabatatas(L.)Lam.
AmaranthuscruentusL.
CelosiaargenteaL.
Abelmoschusesculentus
CitrussinensisOsbeck
Glycinemax(L.)Merr.
VitexdonianaSweet
MoringaoleiferaLam.
CaricapapayaL.
PsidiumguajavaL.
AnacardiumoccidentaleL.
Colocasiaesculenta(L.)Schott
Dioscoreaspp
Irvingiagabonensisvar.…
Sorghumbicolor(L.)Moench
Vignasubterranea(L.)Verdc.
OcimumgratissimumL.
Citruslemon(L.)Burm.f.
Cajanuscajan(L.)Millsp.
Chrysophyllumalbidum
Launaeataraxacifolia
Parkiabiglobosa(Jacq.)G.Don
Crassocephalumspp
AnnonamuricataL.
PerseaamericanaP.Mill.
Solanumaethiopicum
Stachytarphetaindica
Citrusmaxima(Burm.)Merrill
SaccharumofficinarumL.
Conventional Focus
Source: Bellon and Ntandou-Bouzitou , unpublished data.
Ignored

5. Plant species diversity by number of
households (grown and collected)
in southern Benin
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
ZeamaysL.
ManihotesculentaCrantz
Vignaunguiculata(L.)Walp.
ElaeisguineensisJacq.
SolanummacrocarponL.
Musaspp
ArachishypogaeaL.
CorchorusolitoriusL.
SolanumlycopersicumL.
Musaspp
Ananascomosus(L.)Merr.
Capsicumspp
MangiferaindicaL.
VernoniaamygdalinaDelile
Ipomoeabatatas(L.)Lam.
AmaranthuscruentusL.
CelosiaargenteaL.
Abelmoschusesculentus
CitrussinensisOsbeck
Glycinemax(L.)Merr.
VitexdonianaSweet
MoringaoleiferaLam.
CaricapapayaL.
PsidiumguajavaL.
AnacardiumoccidentaleL.
Colocasiaesculenta(L.)Schott
Dioscoreaspp
Irvingiagabonensisvar.…
Sorghumbicolor(L.)Moench
Vignasubterranea(L.)Verdc.
OcimumgratissimumL.
Citruslemon(L.)Burm.f.
Cajanuscajan(L.)Millsp.
Chrysophyllumalbidum
Launaeataraxacifolia
Parkiabiglobosa(Jacq.)G.Don
Crassocephalumspp
AnnonamuricataL.
PerseaamericanaP.Mill.
Solanumaethiopicum
Stachytarphetaindica
Citrusmaxima(Burm.)Merrill
SaccharumofficinarumL.
Source: Bellon and Ntandou-Bouzitou , unpublished data.
Opportunities to improve diets, income, resilience

6. Plant species diversity by number of
households (grown and collected)
in southern Benin
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
ZeamaysL.
ManihotesculentaCrantz
Vignaunguiculata(L.)Walp.
ElaeisguineensisJacq.
SolanummacrocarponL.
Musaspp
ArachishypogaeaL.
CorchorusolitoriusL.
SolanumlycopersicumL.
Musaspp
Ananascomosus(L.)Merr.
Capsicumspp
MangiferaindicaL.
VernoniaamygdalinaDelile
Ipomoeabatatas(L.)Lam.
AmaranthuscruentusL.
CelosiaargenteaL.
Abelmoschusesculentus
CitrussinensisOsbeck
Glycinemax(L.)Merr.
VitexdonianaSweet
MoringaoleiferaLam.
CaricapapayaL.
PsidiumguajavaL.
AnacardiumoccidentaleL.
Colocasiaesculenta(L.)Schott
Dioscoreaspp
Irvingiagabonensisvar.…
Sorghumbicolor(L.)Moench
Vignasubterranea(L.)Verdc.
OcimumgratissimumL.
Citruslemon(L.)Burm.f.
Cajanuscajan(L.)Millsp.
Chrysophyllumalbidum
Launaeataraxacifolia
Parkiabiglobosa(Jacq.)G.Don
Crassocephalumspp
AnnonamuricataL.
PerseaamericanaP.Mill.
Solanumaethiopicum
Stachytarphetaindica
Citrusmaxima(Burm.)Merrill
SaccharumofficinarumL.
Source: Bellon and Ntandou-Bouzitou , unpublished data.
Interventions that move key species with potential to the left

7. Conclusions
• The “tail” presents opportunities to improve the
diets, incomes and resilience of
mothers, children and their households
• Need to build on local diversification strategies
• Local markets are essential
• Need to improve functioning of markets
• Take into account the diversity of species traded
in markets and build on it as source of food and
income