Salimata W.
Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar
Sénégal
Faculté des Sciences et Techniques
Département de Biologie Animale
Laboratoire de Physiologie.
Tel: ( 221 ) 832 66 55; ( 221 ) 639 86 30
Fax: ( 221 ) 832 44 15
E-mail: enutsali@syfed.refer.sn

Guiro A.T.

In order to assess the situation and trends in food production in the Sahel, factors that will continue to influence food supply and demand and prospects for the future are examined.

In the Sahel countries ( Burkina Faso, Cap Verde, The Gambia, Bissau guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Chad ), malnutrition is widespread and will remain a serious health problem in the near future. Agriculture is still the major source of employment and income generation. The food situation of the Sahel differs from country to another and from year to year. The food situation is generally referred to food production, population growth, urbanization and income. The human resources as well as the nutritional security of the population have been neglected for many years. As a consequence, significant decreases in diet related morbidity and mortality particularly in the children and the women are still expected.

Despite pessimistic projections, progress has been made in the last years and will be reflected in improved food availability in the near future. Technical and socio-economic changes are expected to be the major forces that will drive optimism but are very difficult to predict.

Strategies to alleviate poverty and malnutrition and to reverse the trend in the next coming years must take into account the ongoing process of liberalization of the world’s economy. The side effects of the structural adjustment policies in the Sahel are now clearly recognized as leading to increase poverty, inequity, hunger and malnutrition. The current trends of liberalization are then morally unacceptable and need to be reviewed.