Report by Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali

Benin is a West African country situated in the inter-tropical zone, covering a total area of 114,763 km2. It is bordered by Niger and Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the west, and Nigeria to the east, and has a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It has a virtually unrelieved landscape, rising from south to north, and 70,500 km2 of arable land, only 15 per cent of which is farmed. As far as climate is concerned, annual rainfall is relatively low (an average of 800 mm.). Benin has two major basins: the Niger River basin and the coastal basin.