Impact of rising rice prices and policy responses in Mali : simulations with a dynamic CGE model

The increase in the international price of rice is likely to have substantial negative impacts on the poor in countries such as Mali which are net importers of rice. This paper relies on a dynamic CGE model to estimate the likely impact of the recent increase in rice prices on poverty with and without policy responses. Two sets of policy responses are considered: import tax cuts on rice and measures to increase productivity of domestic rice production. The results suggest that an increase in productivity would have a much larger positive impact than a reduction in taxes.Economic Theory&Research,Markets and Market Access,Food&Beverage Industry,Rural Poverty Reduction,Crops&Crop Management Systems

THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT AND THE LATENT AGRICULTURAL EXPORT RESPONSE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides preferential access to Africa's products in US markets. While proponents expect that AGOA will expand Africa's exports to the US, opponents argue that such increases are unlikely, particularly regarding agricultural exports. This paper offers new empirical evidence that is inconclusive regarding the impact of AGOA on African exports to the US.Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Trading out of Poverty: WTO Agreements and the West African Agriculture. A Report of the Food Security II Cooperative Agreement

This report is a brief survey of WTO agreements and their implications for the West African economies (including Chad). The study reviews the positions of West African countries on various WTO issues and compares these positions with positions expressed by major trade partners, particularly the Cairns Group, the European Union, Japan, Sub-Sahara Africa, and the United States.food security, food policy, world trade organization, poverty, West Africa, international trade, market access, Food Security and Poverty, International Relations/Trade, Downloads July 2008-July 2009: 29, F0,

Risk and Measures of Rural Poverty in Burkina Faso

This article assesses the importance of risk in the measurement of rural poverty in Burkina Faso. The analysis is based on longitudinal data collected as part of monitoring and evaluation activities for the PNGT-2 project on community development in the country. The first part of the study is devoted to traditional estimates of poverty for the period 2004 to 2006 and an analysis of movements in and out of poverty between the various survey years. The second part of the study shows how the integration of risk into the measurement of poverty tends to increase these measures significantly.Rural poverty; risk; income stabilization; Burkina Faso

Risque et mesures de la pauvreté rurale au Burkina Faso

This article assesses the importance of risk in the measurement of rural poverty in Burkina Faso. The analysis is based on longitudinal data collected as part of monitoring and evaluation activities for the PNGT-2 project on community development in the country. The first part of the study is devoted to traditional estimates of poverty for the period 2004 to 2006 and an analysis of movements in and out of poverty between the various survey years. The second part of the study shows how the integration of risk into the measurement of poverty tends to increase these measures significantly

THE FOOD SECURITY DEBATE IN WEST AFRICA FOLLOWING THE WTO AGREEMENTS ON AGRICULTURE

This paper examines the environment within which West African countries are designing their regional self-reliance food security strategy following the Uruguay Round Agreements on Agriculture (URAA). The self-reliance strategy combines regionally-coordinated domestic food production with food imports. Three aspects of the URAA-food security linkages were emphasized in this study. First, while the regional model may increase efficiency in regional food production and distribution systems, it may also restrain the flexibility and/or the effectiveness of using tariff protection when needed. Second, a formal test of structural change in food availability suggests that there have been increases in average per capita food supply in the post-URAA period. Third, under a scenario of URAA-led increases in food prices, food access may be weakened in West African net-food purchasing households, even when regional food production responded to price incentives. Besides the macro linkages emphasized in this study, microeconomic and anthropometric linkages between food security and URAA are equally important and should be addressed in subsequent studies

HAS AGOA INCREASED AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS FROM SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA TO THE UNITED STATES?

The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides preferential access to Africa's products in US markets. While proponents expect that AGOA will expand Africa's exports to the US, opponents argue that such increases are unlikely, particularly regarding agricultural exports. This paper offers new empirical evidence that is inconclusive regarding the impact of AGOA on African exports to the US

THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT AND THE LATENT AGRICULTURAL EXPORT RESPONSE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides preferential access to Africa's products in US markets. While proponents expect that AGOA will expand Africa's exports to the US, opponents argue that such increases are unlikely, particularly regarding agricultural exports. This paper offers new empirical evidence that is inconclusive regarding the impact of AGOA on African exports to the US