Political economy of grain marketing and storage in the Sahel

The dimensions of this problem and possible solutions involving increased grain storage and improved marketing institutions and services are explored within a political economy conceptual framework. The work is based on secondary data, on reports by national governments and international organizations, and on field assignments in the region. Sahelian West Africa is in a state of structural underdevelopment characterized by rapid urbanization with high unemployment, formation of new elite classes, unequal distribution of wealth, rural stagnation, and increasing dependence on foreign food and capital. The paper presents an overview of Sahelian macroeconomic indicators followed by trends in regional grain production, consumption and food imports. The remainder of the study involves a detailed examination of issues in Sahelian government involvement in grain marketing, an analysis of existing grain boards in six countries, and proposals for possible incremental change in these institutions and policies to meet Sahelian development objectives. The key policy areas examined are those involved with translating traditional emergency and buffer stock options to the Sahelian environment and the specification of appropriate analytical procedures.