The political economy of wheat consumption and production with special reference to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract

A position paper on the increased importance of wheat as a staple nutrition cereal in Sub-Saharan Africa.Over the past 25 years, one of the most dramatic changes in dietary patterns in developing countries has been the increasing role of wheat as a staple food. Wheat consumption has risen rapidly both in countries where wheat is a traditional staple (e.g., in the Middle East and North Africa) and in countries where wheat is an "introduced" food, especially in the tropical countries lying between 23°S and 23°N latitude . In most cases, increased wheat consumption has been made possible by rapid increases in imports; over 80% of increased wheat consumption over the past two decades in these two groups of countries has been supplied from wheat imports . Only in the large mixed-cereal economies of India, China, and Mexico that experienced the Green Revolution in wheat production has increased wheat consumption been largely supplied from domestic sources.The research supporting the preparation the proceedings papers was financed by the U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau of Science and Technology; Bureau for Africa; and the Southern Africa Regional Programme; under a Food Security in Africa cooperative agreemen