Chapter 1. West Africa staple food systems: An overview of trends and indicators of demand, supply, and trade 39
- Conclusion
This introductory chapter provided a broad survey of the demand and supply drivers affecting the
growth and development of staple food systems in West Africa. On the demand side, the increased
population, fast-growing urbanization and changes to consumers’ preferences are affecting not only
future food demand but also the composition, quality and form of the food to be consumed, and
hence will influence the shape and scope of food value chain developments in the region. Also, as
demand growth continues to outpace supply growth, reliance on imports is unlikely to abate and the
only question is whether the pattern of food trade can shift significantly toward more intraregional
trade or continue to depend largely on trade flows outside of the region. On the supply side, the lower
productivity growth coupled with soil fertility challenges are posing serious obstacles to enhanced
production potential in the region for the major food crops produced and consumed. Recent events
(such as the food crisis of 2007/08 and its aftershocks) repositioned agricultural development to the
centre of regional development strategy and West Africa could undertake its own Green Revolution.
However, the path is not going to be easy and will require a judicious combination of policies, private
initiatives and more effective producer engagement to ensure that targeted markets, value chains, and
food systems are not only highly competitive but also inclusive of small- scale men and women produc-
ers, guaranteeing the widest distribution of economic returns and hence improved food security and
reduced hunger. The following chapters in this book address this central issue in greater detail.