African Agricultural Reforms : The Role of Consensus and Institutions

Studies evaluating the supply response in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to the agricultural policy reforms have found that agricultural growth rates after reforms have been uneven, and, in many countries. The book contains 10 studies focusing on a group of agricultural commodities and the reforms programs associated with them. These cases were selected to illustrate different dimensions of price developments, shocks, and institutional arrangements used to manage these shocks and thus do not constitute a representative sample of agricultural reform processes in SSA. The focus is on export crops because most of the reforms initially focused on these, and the data are more reliable and domestic prices are better connected to international markets. First-stage positive response to a reform program does not guarantee the program's sustainability. Reform sustainability usually requires more comprehensive institutional overhauls that provide stakeholders with sufficient flexibility to accommodate upcoming shocks to the sector. Finally, the studies and hypotheses outlined in this volume should be treated as preliminary. More case studies must be undertaken; following the paths outlined in this volume, to test whether some of the hypotheses advanced here have greater applicability and can be generalized with greater confidence.