Food Security of West African Countries at the Present Stage: Trends, Problems and Solutions

Abstract

The paper analyzes the state of food security in West Africa and assesses its viability. The present author reviews literature on food security of African countries and the state of their agriculture, conducts a statistical analysis of agricultural databases and reports, and comes to the conclusion that modern agriculture does not provide the population of West Africa with an adequate level of nutrition. The identified reasons for this date back to the 1960s, when West African countries gained independence and refocused their economies from agriculture toward the mining sector, minimizing support for the agricultural sector. Due to following the Millennium Development Goals, Africa has managed to reduce hunger on the continent, but recent global financial upheavals have demonstrated the inability of African agriculture to withstand cataclysms. Nutrition of the majority of the population today meets international standards neither quantitatively nor qualitatively. The current level of food security in West Africa is far below optimal. Agriculture there is guided by many regional principles, the adherence to which should lead to the revival of agricultural production. However, the pace of such transformations is extremely slow due to insufficient funding. Yet Africa’s agricultural sector is supported by many international organizations that contribute to the introduction of progressive techniques. This primarily involves the introduction of digital innovations, which should increase the intensity of agricultural production and accordingly the ability of West Africa to achieve self-sufficiency in food and withstand natural and social disasters.