Land Use, Production Growth, and the Institutional Environment of Smallholders: Evidence from Burkinabe Cotton Farmers

The cotton boom in Burkina Faso consisted of a growth in cotton land shares together with an overall increase intotal cultivated land. This paper examines the impact of institutional changes in the cotton sector on theevolution of smallholders’ land-use decisions. The empirical analysis is supported by a structural model thattakes into account the specific institutional features of the Burkinabè cotton sector and builds upon household leveldata collected in rural Burkina Faso. We attribute most of the change in land use to the newly establishedinstitutional arrangements between producers and stakeholders, mechanization, and slackening of the food securityconstraint.