West Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. Climatic, agricultural, health, market and conflict risks make the performance of the food system highly volatile, triggering more frequent and severe food crises. In 2020, some 16.7 million West Africans required immediate food assistance due to a non-typical combination of drought, poverty, high cereal prices, environmental degradation, displacement, poor trade integration and conflict.
In addition to a very slow increase in agricultural productivity, market failures (variation and volatility in commodity prices, local food shortages) are one of the major factors aggravating food and nutritional insecurity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put additional pressure on the food system, increasing malnutrition and food insecurity among vulnerable populations. It has triggered health and economic crises that have reduced access to food, particularly among the urban poor.
In addition to its almost permanent nature, vulnerability in West Africa is characterised by inequality between social groups. Indeed, major inequalities persist between women and men in terms of access to resources likely to improve their living conditions through agriculture - in particular access to land and equipment, credit, markets and advisory and support services.
Faced with these facts, the region has made strong commitments to transform agriculture and strengthen the resilience of the food system, and is benefiting from funding from the World Bank and its partners to implement the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP).
The development objective of the PRSF is to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in project countries.
Specific objectives
01.02.03.The FSRP is structured around five (5) components :
Component 1Component 2Component 3Component 4Component 5The FSRP has adopted a multi-phase programme approach. The first phase of the Programme covers four (4) countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Togo) and regional actions led by ECOWAS, CILSS and WECARD. The second phase includes three (3) additional countries (Ghana, Sierra Leone and Chad). Ultimately, the FSRP aims to achieve full regional coverage.
At regional level, ECOWAS coordinates overall implementation. The Programme is supervised by a Regional Steering Committee (RSC) which meets once a fiscal year to ensure that the Programme's activities are consistent with the vision and the projects and programmes of the beneficiaries. Implementation is carried out by: (i) CILSS (AGRHYMET) for component 1; (ii) WECARD for component 2; and (iii) ECOWAS for components 3 and 5.
ECOWAS delegates the implementation of regional fiduciary activities to its Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (RAAF). RAAF is mandated to provide technical assistance to regional programmes and investment plans that contribute to the operationalization of ECOWAS regional agricultural policy.
At national level, each country has set up an FSRP National Steering Committee to provide policy guidance. In addition, a Coordination Unit (PCU) within the line ministry is responsible for the technical implementation of the Programme.
Outcome 1
- Accurate and timely information on weather, disasters, long-term climate trends, land use, environment, hydrology, conflicts, agricultural production and market price data produced and shared on a user-specific basis
Outcome 2
- Strengthened resilience enabling small and medium-scale farmers to sustainably meet their nutritional needs and increase their incomes
Outcome 3
- Increased intra-regional food trade between surplus and deficit areas and value creation in regional priority value chains
Phase I of the FSRP will cover 2.3 million direct beneficiaries. Direct beneficiaries include women farmers, young people, small scale producers and processors, and agricultural SMEs. The Programme aims to reach at least 40% of women. Other beneficiaries will be other actors in the food system, such as government line ministries, regional organisations (ECOWAS, WECARD, and CILSS), and other public and private institutions and services. The Programme also aims to benefit a large number of indirect beneficiaries covering all actors in the food system, from production to nutrition to the consumer, by improving the performance of the food system through its structural investments.