The youth and the employment situation in Togo.

Since 1993, when Togo got into the democracy process, the economic and the social conditions were affected by the political crisis that emerged from the lack of democracy and respect of human rights by the Togolese authorities. The young people unemployment is one of the major problems that the country is facing. They seem left to themselves. Most of them who are University graduates have to ride Taxi Motorcycles Called “ZEMIDJAN” (in the local language) to survive. What are the causes of the problem? And how can they be tackled? These are few questions we shall try to answer in this small article.Imanitogo

FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: EVIDENCE FROM THE "UNION ECONOMIQUE ET MONÉTAIRE OUEST-AFRICAINE (UEMOA)"

In Sub-Saharan Africa food security will remain a major issue as cereals production is decreasing and their import prices are increasing. If food security involves food availability, accessibility, stability and the utilization of food in a nutritious manner by households, it is important to examine food production stability and consumption diversification as important determinants of food security. This paper examines these relationships in the UEMOA countries. The results indicate relatively stable food productions and weak consumption diversification. As a result the food security levels in the union are overall moderate or low. Thus agricultural policies should focus on existing and potential opportunities that enhance food production and consumption diversification and competitiveness in the Union.Food Security and Poverty,

Revisiting Estimation of Agricultural Production Function for Sustainable Agricultural Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): Evidence from Togo.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the bulk of agricultural output is produced by small holder farmers who continue to depend on rainfall. As such, agricultural economists often use average rainfall as a summative environmental indicator in estimating agricultural production function. This methodology is flawed. A close scrutiny of agricultural practices /agronomic sciences reveals that agricultural output is more determined by rainfall distribution than average rainfall. This relationship is explored in the Togolese context. The conclusion reached is that, between 1965 and 1992, intra-annual rainfall distribution measured by its standard of deviation has not been relevant in explaining the variation of food production in Togo due to the continuous degradation of the ecosystems. This result provides additional information for improved decision making and calls for urgent account of environmental aspects in the formulation of sustainable agricultural policies in SSA.Environmental Economics and Policy, Productivity Analysis,

Effectiveness of bylaws in the management of natural resources: The West African experience

"The role of various stakeholders in the management of natural resources is not clear in the West African countries. This paper discusses the historical changes in power delegation from central origins to peripheral institutions. The analysis covers the rise of bylaws across the Western African countries and links the multiplicity of bylaws to the amplification of the decentralization movement. On the basis of a literature review and their own practitioners' experiences, the authors demonstrate the pertinence of bylaws as a tool for better management of natural resources. In the West African Francophone context, bylaws could stand both for regulations enacted by decentralized authorities or “local conventions” binding village community groups. Where formal bylaws suffer from limited enforcement, local people continue, through their traditional representatives, to engage in the negotiation of local conventions for the management of natural resources. According to the authors, there is a need to recognize local conventions, which offer an opportunity for decentralization to be more rooted in local situations. Through such conventions, traditional institutions prove their ability to reshape with decentralization even if decentralization reforms and national forestry laws have ignored them across West Africa." authors' abstractBylaws, Natural resource management, Decentralization, Environmental management, Devolution,