Agribusiness and Trade Promotion
Highlights
- Could promoting food trade increase food security in West Africa?
- The program reduced barriers to trade and credit, as well as the risk of avian flu.
- Ultimately, the value of livestock went up while trade and production was enhanced.
The Challenge
|
Food prices were rising in West Africa, particularly for imported food. In-country and international shipping costs also were climbing. Could promoting food trade increase farm families’ incomes, helping ensure food security by increasing families’ ability to pay for food and increasing availability of food? |
The Approach
The Abt-led Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (ATP) program increased the value and volume of higher-quality staple foods and helped value-chain stakeholders increase trade in West Africa. The program:
- Reduced barriers to regional commodity trade.
- Advocated for productive regional and national agricultural policies.
- Enhanced linkages among agricultural producers and agro-processors and distributors.
- Boosted regional market information systems and access to finance.
- Helped private-poultry and animal-health sectors reduce the risk of avian flu.
The Results
Through ATP, Abt:
- Helped remove a poultry-trade ban in Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire.
- Partnered with Nestle to raise awareness about aflatoxin contamination.
- Initiated first warehouse receipts program in Ghana.
- Helped increase the value of ruminant livestock trading in the sub-region by 43 percent, increased the volume of sheep and goats by 33 percent, and increased the value of onions exported from Niger and Burkina Faso to Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and Benin by 45 percent.
Capabilities
Regions
Sub-Saharan Africa