Spatial Patterns of Food Staple Production and Marketing in South East Africa: Implications for Trade Policy and Emergency Response
September 2, 2009 - Steven Haggblade, Steven Longabaugh, and David Tschirley
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EmailIDWP 100. Steven Haggblade, Steven Longabaugh, and David Tschirley. Michigan State University. 2009. Spatial Patterns of Food Staple Production and Marketing in South East Africa: Implications for Trade Policy and Emergency Response
This paper aims to develop and test methods for spatial mapping of population, food
production, consumption, and marketed quantities in Africa. As an initial, exploratory
exercise, the paper examines the spatial pattern of population, food production, consumption,
and trade in the three countries of Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. This largely
descriptive initial work will lay the empirical foundations for future analytical work modeling
regional trade flows of food staples.
By mapping population, food production, and trade flows, the paper aims to help policy
makers better understand and anticipate spatial interactions in staple food markets. Through
visual presentation of market information, these spatial mapping tools offer prospects for
animating an ongoing dialogue among public and private stakeholders on key market flows,
key bottlenecks, and key opportunities for improving food security in good and bad harvest
years.
