1 Production and Consumption Trends of Dryland Staples in CORAF Nations
1 Production and Consumption Trends of Dryland Staples in CORAF Nations
Abstract
Sorghum, pearl millet, fonio, cowpeas, groundnuts, and livestock form the backbone of the agricultural economy in semiarid regions of West and Central Africa. This chapter presents descriptive statistics on the production, consumption, and trade of five commodities that are the mandate crops of the CORAF regional research center of excellence, Centre d’étude régional pour l’amélioration de l’adaptation à la sécheresse (CERAAS). Over the past decade, changes in the total production of these crops have been driven by land extensification at rates that are two to three times yield growth rates. While the consumption of dryland cereal crops has decreased in most nations, consistent with economic theory, evidence on groundnuts indicates increasing per capita consumption. Very limited quantities of all crops are formally traded across borders, with the exception of groundnuts, which is an important export crop in Senegal. Sorghum, pearl millet, fonio, cowpeas, and groundnuts play critical roles in the food economy of the CORAF region through the supply of calories and proteins to local populations. Strategies to increase the productivity of these crops will be beneficial in different ways to consumers and producers.
Keywords: production, consumption, trade, drylands staples, CORAF
Introduction
This chapter presents recent trends in the production, consumption, and trade of sorghum, pearl millet, fonio, cowpea, and groundnuts in 23 West and Central Africa nations covered by the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF)1. These five crops form the basis of the food systems in many Sahelian nations in the CORAF region and are the focus of the research center of excellence, Centre d’étude régional pour l’amélioration de l’adaptation à la sécheresse (CERAAS), which has led regional efforts to increase the productivity and resiliency of these crops since 1989.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide strategic country-level information on the dynamics of these staples and consumer needs in the future. This study is restricted to sorghum, pearl millet, fonio, cowpea, and groundnuts to draw attention to the critical role these crops play in the Sahelian food system. It does not focus on the entire basket of staples available in CORAF nations. Approximately 65 million hectares of cereals and 14 million hectares of legumes were planted in CORAF countries in 2019, accounting for 63 and 51 percent of cereal and legume areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. On a global scale, CORAF nations produce approximately 27% (sorghum), 37% (pearl millet), 100% (fonio), 84% (cowpeas), and 23% (groundnuts) of the global annual production.
Overall, production of these crops has increased over the past decade, except in a few countries, and consumption has also increased. Very limited quantities of the crops are traded within the region; a limited amount of sorghum is