Since the 1960s, the government of Benin has invested in the development of canal irrigation schemes in order to intensify food crop production and reduce food insecurity. This paper employed an ordered probit model with sample selection to assess the potential of irrigation in reducing food insecurity in the municipality of Malanville, Benin. The results show that 60% of the irrigation farmers and 46% of the dry land farmers were food secure. Adoption of irrigation has a positive effect on food security. Other variables explaining food security are education, informal training, credit, extension services, use of improved seed, fertilizer and herbicide application, farm and off-farm income. The study recommends that efforts to rehabilitate current irrigation scheme and develop other schemes should be intensified.

自1960年代以来，贝宁政府已投资发展运河灌溉计划，以加强粮食作物的生产并减少粮食不安全。本文采用有序概率模型与样本选择来评估贝宁市马兰维尔市灌溉在减少粮食不安全方面的潜力。结果表明，有60％的灌溉农民和46％的旱地农民拥有粮食安全。采用灌溉对粮食安全有积极影响。解释粮食安全的其他变量包括教育，非正式培训，信贷，推广服务，改良种子的使用，肥料和除草剂的使用，农场和非农业收入。该研究建议应加大力度恢复目前的灌溉计划并制定其他计划。