%A Dipl.-Ing.sc.agr. Guy-Erick Akou?gnon %A Prof.Dr. Volker Hoffmann %A Prof.Dr. Rainer Schultze-Kraft %T Options for improving soil fertility in the southern part of the Republic of B?nin: Where does Mucuna find its niche? %X Empirical evidence has shown that small-scale farmers can use a non-food, green manure legume as soil-fertilising technology only if it provides immediate benefits other than soil fertility improvement. In the southern part of the Republic of B?nin, however, subsistence-oriented farmers chose Mucuna pruriens exclusively for soil fertility. In this they had the opportunity to select dual-purpose grain legumes for both soil fertility and food without season loss. The rationale behind this apparently irrational choice lies in the differentiated and economically sound land allocation to Mucuna and grain legumes. %D 2008 %K legume adoption, soil fertility, ethnoeconomics, local knowledge, B?nin %L orgprints11620