Food Insecurity, Soil Degradation and Agricultural Markets in West Africa: Why Current Policy Approaches Fail

Abstract

The agricultural sector in West Africa is not at present capable of meeting the growing demand for food for its population and of reversing unfavourable trends in soil degradation. We argue that integrated soil management is an essential condition for sustainable agricultural development in the many regions in West Africa where population pressure forces an intensi cation of land use. Such an approach combines improved soil-moisture storage measures, and the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers and soil amendments. The synergetic effects which could result from this combination are indispensable for achieving the productivity increases needed to cope with the pressure of population. Current (neo-liberal and ecologicalparticipationist) policy approaches are unable to realize the transition towards integrated soil management technologies. The time lags involved in learning to use new technologies, in the adaptation of technologies to local circumstances, and in reaping the bene ts of soil fertility investments call for (at least temporary) support of agricultural incomes.

Environmental crisis or ‘lie of the land’? The debate on soil degradation in Africa

“…The alarms of the 1930s reflect a further spread of the spiral, under the influence of drought and economic depression, to areas some distance away from the white belts. More recent findings of soil degradation indicate a new impulse that has been given to the spiral by the deterioration of the agricultural terms of trade and the collapse of support systems in the 1980s and 1990s (e.g., Koning et al, 2001;Reardon et al, 1997Reardon et al, , 1999.…”

“…However, participatory approaches will only help if the terms of trade for farmers are also improved. Public investment in roads and other infrastructure is a vital condition for this, but protective tariffs on agricultural imports may also be needed (Koning et al, 2001;Koning, 2002). Tariffs will improve farm-gate prices near the ports and induce investment in transport, storage, and processing that will extend this price effect to larger areas.…”

Soil fertility decline and economic policy reform in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…A fundamental aspect of ISFM is the synergism among its components (Breman, 1997;Kauffman et al, 2000;Koning et al, 2001). Application of organic fertilisers can increase both nutrient and water use efficiency, and therefore make application of inorganic fertilisers much more attractive to farmers.…”

“…Furthermore, farmers need time to become acquainted with new technologies, and to adapt them to local circumstances. ISFM requires considerable investments in terms of finance and labour by farmers, while the full benefits only appear after several years (Koning et al, 2001).…”

“…In addition, it will contribute to social goals such as rural development, food security, and controlled rural-urban migration. Kuyvenhoven et al (1999) and Koning et al (2001) use an 'infant industry' type argument to justify temporary price adjustments. As discussed above, the initial effects of measures to improve poor and degraded soils are limited, and farmers need time to learn new soil fertility-promoting technologies and adopt them to local circumstances.…”