Impact of "Agricultural Cooperatives Linked to School Meal Programs": the Case Lemon Kouan Cooperative in Subprefectures Kononfla and Bazré Central-Western Côte d'Ivoire

The link between school meal programs and agricultural production is recognized as an agricultural development policy due to its benefits for smallholder farmers and the local economy. However, the scarcity of studies on this approach results in a lack of information. This study sought to shed light on the effects of the combination of school feeding and local agricultural production on the standard of living of farming households through the case of the Lemon Kaouan group in the subprefectures of Kononfla and Bazré in Côte d'Ivoire. It (i) identified and characterized the different socioeconomic groups of households; (ii) identified and analyzed household livelihoods; (iii) analyzed the influence of the "school feeding and local agricultural production" link on household income and food consumption. The study employed comparative and bivariate analyses on a sample of one hundred twenty-two (122) farming households divided into two groups: cooperative members and non-members. This case study demonstrates that the combination of school feeding and local agricultural production improves the livelihoods of local producers.