Agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa continue to confront persistent and interrelated challenges, including chronic food insecurity, the growing impacts of climate variability, and the degradation of local agroecosystems (Chivenge et al., 2015; FAO, 2021). These pressures are compounded by a dominant reliance on a small number of staple crops, even though a much broader array of plant species contributes to rural livelihoods, cultural heritage, and ecological stability. Among these, neglected and underutilized species (NUS) hold particular significance. Species such as fonio (Digitaria exilis), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), sesame (Sesamum indicum), and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) are deeply embedded in local food systems, traditional knowledge, and agroecological practices. They are valued for their nutritional richness, resilience to marginal soil and rainfall conditions, and ability to support local food security where dominant crops often struggle (Dansi et al., 2012; El Bilali et al., 2024; Hughes and Ebert, 2013; Mabhaudhi et al., 2019).

In Benin, these species continue to play a vital role in rural livelihoods, particularly in regions where challenging environmental conditions make NUS not only culturally important but also agronomically strategic. This is especially evident in the Atacora region, where mountainous terrain, soil degradation, and rainfall variability shape agricultural choices and reinforce the relevance of species such as fonio and Bambara groundnut. Yet despite their ecological and livelihood contributions, NUS remain marginal within national agricultural priorities. Policy frameworks continue to favor a narrow set of value chains—primarily cotton, maize, rice, cashew, and pineapple—reflecting broader economic orientations and long-standing institutional preferences (Hounkpatin and Moumouni-Moussa, 2023; Padulosi et al., 2019). National strategies that reference diversification or sustainability tend to do so in broad terms, without concrete support measures or programmatic investments directed toward NUS. This structural neglect has created an institutional landscape in which the development of NUS relies heavily on the initiatives of farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, and development projects, while public agricultural extension and research systems intervene only marginally. Experiences from the Micro-Veg project in Benin further demonstrate how coordinated actor mobilization can strengthen the development of neglected crop sectors in contexts where state support remains limited (Adechian et al., 2019). Through training, local experimentation, and collective organization, the project succeeded in enhancing the visibility and market value of indigenous leafy vegetables, illustrating how bottom-up initiatives can compensate for institutional shortcomings (Adechian et al., 2019). This dynamic mirrors the situation observed for NUS in the Atacora region, where local actors play a central role in sustaining production and innovation despite limited policy engagement.

Understanding how NUS continue to thrive in such an environment requires an analytical perspective that places actors—rather than policies—at the center of inquiry. The Actor-Oriented Approach (AOA), as articulated by Long (1994, 2003), provides a theoretical lens through which to examine how different stakeholders interpret policies, mobilize resources, and negotiate constraints within their daily realities. Rather than viewing policy processes as linear or deterministic, the AOA conceptualizes development as a dynamic and interactive process driven by the strategies, interpretations, and negotiations of multiple actors. This approach has been used to demonstrate how farmers, producer organizations, NGOs, and local administrations reconfigure interventions based on their interests, experiences, and institutional environments (Cleaver and Whaley, 2018; Moumouni, 2013; Nederlof and Dangbégnon, 2007). It thus offers a robust framework for examining how the marginal status of NUS within policy frameworks translates into differentiated perceptions and adaptation practices among actors on the ground.

In this context, the present study explores how actors in the Atacora region of Benin engage with the limited institutional recognition of NUS and how this environment shapes their strategies for sustaining or expanding NUS production, processing, and marketing. The analysis focuses on identifying the range of actors involved in the valorization of NUS and understanding their respective contributions to production systems, value-chain development, and knowledge transmission. It also examines the diversity and spatial distribution of the NUS cultivated in the region, shedding light on their ecological, cultural, and economic roles. In addition, the study investigates how agricultural policies are interpreted by actors at different institutional levels and how these perceptions reflect broader structural asymmetries in access to information, decision-making, and resources. Finally, the research analyzes the adaptation strategies developed to compensate for gaps in public support, highlighting both endogenous initiatives emerging from farmers and cooperatives and exogenous interventions led by NGOs, research institutions, and development programs.

By articulating these dimensions within an actor-oriented perspective, the study contributes to ongoing debates on the governance of underutilized crops and the capacity of local actors to innovate in the face of institutional neglect. It also provides insights into how policy environments, local agency, and resource mobilization interact to shape the future of NUS within sustainable food systems. More broadly, the study underscores the need to better integrate NUS into agricultural strategies in order to enhance resilience, promote agro-biodiversity, and support food and nutrition security in regions vulnerable to climatic and socioeconomic pressures.

This study builds on the Actor-Oriented Approach (AOA) formulated by Long (1994, 2003) within the sociology of development. The AOA conceives social change not as a linear outcome of top-down policy interventions, but as a process of interaction, negotiation, and contestation among diverse actors who possess different interests, resources, and worldviews (Long, 1994, 2003). Rather than being passive recipients of external policies, local communities are understood as active agents who interpret, adapt, and sometimes transform the initiatives designed for them. Through this perspective, development outcomes are seen as the product of complex interfaces between state agencies, research institutions, private actors, and local groups, all operating within specific institutional and cultural contexts (Cleaver and Whaley, 2018; Long, 1994).

Applied to the agricultural sector, this theoretical lens is particularly relevant to understanding how policies are interpreted and reconfigured at the local level. The actor-oriented approach makes it possible to bridge the gap between policy intent and actual practice by focusing on how farmers, cooperatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local administrative bodies make sense of and respond to policy orientations. Previous research in Africa has shown that policy implementation often depends less on formal directives than on the ways in which actors appropriate and reinterpret them within their daily realities (Moumouni, 2013; Nederlof and Dangbégnon, 2007). This view highlights the agency of individuals and organizations in shaping agricultural trajectories, despite institutional constraints or limited technical support.

In the context of Benin, the AOA offers an analytical entry point for exploring how local actors perceive and react to the marginal position of Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) in national agricultural policy. Although crops such as fonio (Digitaria exilis), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), and sesame (Sesamum indicum) possess high nutritional, cultural, and economic potential, they have long been excluded from formal agricultural strategies that prioritise export-oriented or high-yield crops like cotton and maize (Hounkpatin and Moumouni-Moussa, 2023; Padulosi et al., 2019). Yet these species remain vital to smallholder farmers, particularly women, who depend on them for income diversification and food security under changing climatic conditions (El Bilali et al., 2024; Hughes and Ebert, 2013). Within this environment of selective policy attention, local actors have developed adaptive strategies to maintain and promote NUS through informal networks, mutual support, and local innovation. Understanding these processes requires a framework that captures both institutional structures and human agency.

The analytical model developed for this study conceptualizes the valorization of NUS as an interactive system linking four dimensions: agricultural policy orientations, local perceptions, resource mobilization, and adaptation strategies (Figure 1). Policy orientations refer to the extent to which NUS are recognized, supported, or neglected in agricultural programs and institutional frameworks. Local perceptions express how actors interpret these orientations and assess their relevance for their own livelihoods and production systems. Resource mobilization represents the tangible and intangible means—financial, material, social, and cognitive—that actors draw upon to sustain NUS-related activities. Adaptation strategies reflect the innovations, collaborations, and coping mechanisms developed to overcome policy and market constraints. These dimensions are not independent. Agricultural policies influence local perceptions, which in turn shape the capacity of actors to mobilize resources. The resources available determine the feasibility and scope of adaptation strategies, while the success or failure of these strategies can feed back into policy discussions and institutional recognition of NUS.

This dynamic interaction forms a circular and adaptive system. It suggests that differences in perception and strategy among actor categories—such as public institutions, NGOs, farmer cooperatives, and private projects—reflect variations in access to information, power relations, and institutional incentives (Cleaver and Whaley, 2018). Consequently, understanding how these actors interpret policies and mobilize resources provides critical insight into why some initiatives succeed while others remain ineffective. The model therefore serves not only as a descriptive framework but also as a diagnostic tool for analyzing how local innovation and policy environments co-evolve in the promotion of underutilized crops. This perspective captures both structural relationships and subjective meanings, offering a comprehensive understanding of how agricultural policies interact with local capacities and constraints. More broadly, it situates the valorization of NUS within current debates on institutional pluralism, adaptive governance, and the co-production of knowledge in sustainable food systems (Cleaver and Whaley, 2018; El Bilali et al., 2024).

This study analyzed the governance environment shaping the valorization of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in the Atacora region of Benin through an actor-oriented lens. The findings reveal a persistent mismatch between national agricultural policy priorities and the realities of local production systems dominated by smallholder farmers. Despite the nutritional, cultural, and ecological significance of crops such as fonio and Bambara groundnut, NUS remain largely absent from major agricultural strategies. This institutional marginalization aligns with previous observations that NUS in West Africa often fall outside state-supported programs due to their limited commercialization compared to dominant value chains (El Bilali et al., 2024; Padulosi et al., 2019). However, by situating the analysis within the Actor-Oriented Approach, this study goes further in demonstrating how actors interpret, negotiate, and compensate for these institutional gaps.

The results highlight a striking asymmetry in policy interpretation. Public institutions and research structures tend to perceive diversification-oriented policies as indirectly supportive of NUS. Meanwhile, producers, cooperatives, and NGOs overwhelmingly interpret policies as neglectful or insufficiently visible. These contrasting views reflect differences in institutional positioning and access to information (Long, 1994; Nederlof and Dangbégnon, 2007). Organizations closer to the field emphasize operational weaknesses—limited extension support, lack of improved seeds, absence of funding—while institutions closer to policy design emphasize strategic intentions rather than concrete implementation. This divergence illustrates what Long (2003) and Cleaver and Whaley (2018) describe as the “interpretive flexibility” of development policies, whereby actors internalize and reinterpret policy signals depending on their experiences and constraints.

The perceived disconnect between policy and practice has significant implications for the resilience of NUS systems. Producers’ limited knowledge of public initiatives—combined with their reliance on NGOs and development projects for training and equipment—reinforces an uneven governance landscape in which non-state actors play essential roles in maintaining and expanding NUS value chains. This finding echoes observations that in many African contexts, informal networks and NGO-led initiatives often compensate for the inadequacies of public agricultural services (Moumouni, 2013). In Atacora, this dynamic is particularly evident in the organization of cultural events, collective labor mobilization, seed exchange, and the local processing and marketing of NUS-based foods.

The analysis of adaptation strategies underscores the central role of grassroots innovation. Producers and their organizations deploy endogenous strategies such as livelihood diversification, labor mobilization, and collective marketing to sustain NUS despite structural barriers. Exogenous strategies—such as training, certification, and value-chain development—provide complementary technical and organizational support but remain largely project-driven. The coexistence of these strategies demonstrates the hybrid governance structure characterizing NUS development in Benin. This finding echoes previous evidence from the Micro-Veg initiative, which showed that actor coalitions can play decisive roles in strengthening neglected crop sectors when public policy support is weak (Adechian et al., 2019). Similar patterns of collective experimentation and innovation were observed in the present study (through actors’ associations or cooperatives) reinforcing the relevance of actor-oriented perspectives for understanding NUS governance. It also shows that local actors exercise considerable agency within constrained institutional environments, consistent with the Actor-Oriented Approach’s emphasis on negotiation, creativity, and local problem-solving (Adechian et al., 2019; Long and Long, 1992; Cleaver and Whaley, 2018).

Together, these results suggest that the future of NUS valorization depends not only on technical interventions but also on the recognition of local knowledge systems, the strengthening of decentralized institutional capacities, and the alignment of policy frameworks with the lived realities of producers. Strengthening communication channels between public institutions and rural communities, creating dedicated NUS support programs, and integrating NUS into advisory services and research funding could help reduce the institutional fragmentation documented in this study. By foregrounding actors’ perceptions and strategies, this research contributes to broader debates on institutional pluralism and adaptive governance in sustainable food systems.

This study examined how agricultural policies, local perceptions, and adaptive strategies interact to shape the valorization of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in the Atacora region of Benin. Using the Actor-Oriented Approach, the analysis demonstrated that NUS occupy a marginal position in national agricultural strategies, despite their ecological, nutritional, and cultural importance. The resulting policy vacuum contributes to weak institutional visibility and limited support for producers, while creating space for NGOs, research institutions, and community organizations to assume central roles in sustaining and promoting NUS.

The findings show that producers and intermediary organizations overwhelmingly perceive agricultural policies as insufficiently supportive of NUS, while public institutions tend to interpret diversification policies as indirectly beneficial. These asymmetries highlight deep structural inequalities in access to information and participation in policy processes. In response, actors employ a mix of endogenous and exogenous adaptation strategies—ranging from collective labor mobilization and seed exchange to training modules, certification initiatives, and value-chain development. Together, these strategies illustrate a hybrid governance system in which local agency compensates for institutional shortcomings.

The study underscores the need to place NUS more explicitly at the center of agricultural development strategies in Benin. Strengthening institutional support—through dedicated research programs, improved extension services, and better integration of NUS into diversification and ecological agriculture policies—would enhance the resilience of local food systems. Equally important is the recognition of local innovations and the strengthening of multi-actor collaborations that have already demonstrated effectiveness in sustaining NUS value chains.

By revealing how actors negotiate and adapt within a fragmented policy environment, this research contributes to ongoing discussions on sustainable food systems, agro-biodiversity governance, and the co-production of knowledge in development practice. Future research could deepen this analysis by exploring market dynamics, gendered dimensions of NUS valorization, and the long-term sustainability of hybrid governance arrangements. Strengthening the institutional anchoring of NUS remains essential for advancing food and nutrition security in regions facing climatic, socioeconomic, and ecological pressures.