Chapter 2. A historical comparative analysis of commodity development models in West Africa 49
the proper incentives to mitigate risks and to provide assurances to agribusiness, industry or consumers
in the areas of quality requirements or higher standards. Moreover, small-scale producers, having a
limited bargaining capacity, capture too small a share of the added value generated along the value
chain. Finally, staple food producers typically suffer from inadequate public support and insufficient
partnership with agroprocessors.
1.2 Study objectives
In this chapter, we explore the central question concerning the extent to which staple food value chains
can be promoted through a different development model compared with the commodities models that
prevailed in the past relating to export commodities. We do this for several reasons. First, understanding
the policy processes and the institutional setting that led to the export commodity models can illuminate
what a suitable staple food value chain model would look like in light of the distinction between staple
and cash crops. Second, answering this question is critical for value chain policy design and for effective
investment strategies, given the renewed interest in staple foods. In some countries, governments are
attempting to reapply schemes used for traditional export commodity chains to staple crops. This may
not be the optimal option as there may be different institutional and market structures at play that
require alternative approaches. Other voices are calling for a return to the role of market controls and
the re-activation of parastatal agencies, while still others call for hybrid models combining public and
private roles in managing staple food value chains. However, there is an increasing view that gives a
prominent role to the private sector to lead the way for the development of staple value chains. The role
of producer organizations is also highlighted as central for the growth of inclusive value chains, given
the dominance of small-scale producers – both men and women – and the need to aggregate farmers
to acquire enough clout to become effective economic players in the market.
To undertake this comparative analysis, we take a historical perspective and divide commodity
development models into three categories coinciding with three broad epochs in the recent history of
West Africa: (1) the colonial period (up to 1960) and the post-colonial export-oriented period (1960
through 1980); (2) the post-structural adjustment period (1980-2000) where new impetus was given to
privatization, the retreat of the state (and development partners) from agriculture and the emergence
of non-traditional export foods; and (3) the post-2000 period (starting with the MDGs and the focus on
poverty reduction) and the shifting interest towards staple food value chains. Table 1 summarizes the
key periods for West Africa with respect to the prevailing commodity models.