Department of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources (DAEWR) 10 years transformations of agriculture and food in West Africa Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate Alain SY TRAORE - atraore@ecowas.int +234.803.25.96.402

1. « …ECOWAS OF PEOPLE …»
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources (DAEWR)
10 years transformations of agriculture
and food in West Africa
ECOWAP
Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate
Alain SY TRAORE - atraore@ecowas.int
+234.803.25.96.402
International Conference "ECOWAP + 10“
17-19 November 2015, Dakar, Sénégal

2. Introducing the discussion…
 Which are the significant changes / major trends of
agriculture and food that West Africa has experienced?
 What are the institutional changes?
 What are the main achievements at regional level (RAIP)?
 What are the main achievements at national level?
 What are the key obstacles to the implementation of
Ecowap?
2

3. •
A sharp increase in grain production ...
- Concentrated on rice and maize for which the States have mobilized
significant support (input subsidies, irrigation schemes ...)
- with high inter-annual variability (climate variability) especially for
millet and sorghum
- rising share of rice in cereal consumption : from 15% in 1973, to 26%
in 2010
3
EVOLUTION OF REGIONAL CEREAL PRODUCTION
(MILLION TONNES)

4. • Strong growth of roots and tubers ...
- Focusing on Nigeria, Benin, Ghana and Ivory Coast
- As for cereals, surface extensions compensate for low productivity gains
- Processing technologies play an important role in boosting production
and its ability to meet demand
4
EVOLUTION OF REGIONAL PRODUCTION OF ROOTS AND TUBERS
(MILLION TONNES)

5. 5
• Strong growth in livestock for all species ...
- strong dynamics of poultry farming / urban demand
- strong complementarity of livestock systems (pastoralism and agro-
pastoralism) and markets = characteristic of the regional economy and its
integration
- strong determination of coastal countries to reduce their dependence /
imports from the Sahelian countries
EVOLUTION OF REGIONAL LIVESTOCK
(MILLION ANIMALS)

6. • Most countries have a sufficient calorie per capita available and which
increased in recent years ... but:
- poverty affects household food security: insufficient means of production or
lack of resources to access food markets
- child malnutrition remains a worrying phenomenon in many countries
- crises are strongly related to economic and market risks and quickly take on a
regional dimension
6
FOOD SUPPLY

7. • Sharp deterioration in the trade food balance : $ 3 bi deficit
- probably related to the evolution of urban food demand
- difficulty for local industries to adapt quickly to the growth and
diversification of demand
- cereals account for almost 40% of imports and cocoa, nearly half of
exports
- multiple regional trade but below the potential of regional agriculture
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EVOLUTION OF THE FOOD BALANCE (X $ BILLION)

8. • Potential of natural resources
remains important, but ...
- in the absence of a
"sustainable intensification
model“, extension of cultivated
areas contributes to soil
degradation
- shared natural resources
(water , forests, biodiversity)
requires concerted management
methods
- growing uncertainty about the
scale and impacts of climate
change
8

9. 9
What are the institutional changes?
ECOWAP institutional framework is being put in place for ten years
• CCAA, RAAF, introduced after publication of decrees by the President of
the Commission
• Monitoring and Evaluation system (on-going implementation): “SakSS
nodes”, Ecoagris
• Participatory dimension:
– Structuring of actors from emerging networks (Cashew, Shea butter
alliances, Cereals network ROAC, …)
– Structuring of dialogue: task forces, CCAA
– Capacity building of regional organizations (CILSS, CORAF)
– AGIR Alliance
• Funding: Ecowadf, established in 2011, not operational yet

10. MAPPING OF STAKEHOLDERS

11. What are the main achievements at
regional level (RAIP)?
In 2010, adoption of the RAIP for 2010-2015
• Important achievements in each of the three RAIP
objectives:
– promotion of strategic products: productivity and value chains
– favorable environment for the agricultural sector (ProFAB, etc.)
– access to food for vulnerable populations : RRSA
• Key reforms have been implemented:
– Trade and regulatory reforms: EPAs, CET, flow and abnormal
practices observatories
– Charter, regional reserve,
– Lately: West-African Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture
– Support of family farming

12. What are the main achievements at
regional level (RAIP)?
• But…
– Some topics remain barely taken into account:
gender, adaptation and mitigation measures, livestock and pastoralism, risk
management , nutritional dimension of food policies, impact of research on
development programs )
– Insufficient consideration of national comparative advantages,
including on animal products
– Many programs are not completely operational yet
– Numerous challenges remain to be taken up: increase of importations
in the past decade, food security, poverty
– Impacts are difficult to measure yet

13. What are the main achievements at
national level?
• Key achievements
– Priorities of States and national actors have been defined
– Establishment of a “common language”: harmonization and standardization of
agricultural public spending programming at the regional level
– Increase in budgetary resources dedicated to the agricultural sector, although
a majority of countries have not achieved the Maputo objective
– Increasing commitment of TFPs in the agricultural sector
• Key limits
– The program have been implemented quite recently: in 2010-2011
– Approach per program: NAIPS don’t always refer to a real agricultural policy
– Structuring dimensions inadequately addressed (funding of the small holders,
land issue, young farmer’s installation…);

14. What are the key obstacles to the
implementation of Ecowap?
The key obstacles that limit the impact and implementation of Ecowap:
• The regional fund is not operational;
• Better coordinated technical and financial partners (Donor’s group) but
that retain unilateral logics;
• Maputo commitments: insufficient progress;
• Lack of coordination between the stakeholders (WAEMU/ECOWAS;
RAAF/DAWR…);
• Lack of cross-sectoral work and coordination within some sectors (gender,
natural and resources management);
• Incentive-based public policy instruments (support for intensification,
market regulation, promotion of safety nets) are difficult to
operationalize;
• Weakness of the M&E process.

15. MAPPING OF STAKEHOLDERS

16. « …CEDEAO DES PEUPLES …»
Thank you for your attention
―
Merci de votre attention
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Obrigado pela sua atenção
ECOWAP