A new book by AFRE Food Security Group team
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EmailStrengthening Regional Agricultural Integration in West Africa: Key Findings & Policy Implications Edited by: John M. Staatz, Boubacar Diallo and Nathalie M. Me-Nsope
Strengthening Regional Agricultural Integration in West Africa: Key Findings & Policy Implications consists of 14 chapters, written by key participants in the program. It summarizes many of the findings from the SRAI program (Phase 1 and Phase 2) and their policy implications and is an essential reference for anyone interested improving food policies in West Africa.
Key findings and policy implications include:
- West African governments were able to reduce the transmission of global price shocks to their markets, but at high cost.
- West African agrifood system actors are responding to new opportunities, but face high transaction costs.
- Food consumption patterns in West Africa are changing profoundly, affecting where future food polices should focus their attention.
- West African agriculture can be competitive, but only if the entire value chain is addressed.
- Greater regional integration is crucial to addressing many of the challenges facing West African agriculture.
- The regional trade policy agenda needs to go hand-in-hand with a social-protection and risk-mitigation policy agenda.
- Policy implementation is a greater challenge than policy design.
- In addition to these findings, the Strengthening Regional Agricultural Integration program also revealed some broader lessons about the agricultural policy process itself.
