Smallholder participation in value chains: The case of domestic rice in Senegal

Since 1985, rice production in West Africa has doubled, but consumption of rice has increased even more rapidly. This has resulted in the increasing dependence of West African countries on rice imports (Seck et al., 2010). Rice is the most consumed cereal in Senegal (about 1.1 million tonnes in 2009). However, only 45 percent of consumption is covered by domestic production; the rest is imported from India, Thailand, and Viet Nam (FAO, 2011). This large import dependency makes Senegal vulnerable to volatility in the international rice market (Seck et al., 2010). In response to the 2008 food crisis, the government in Senegal has placed rice on higher priority for self-sufficiency and increased investments to boost production. However, to successfully achieve self-sufficiency, Senegal will not only have to invest in productivity (supply push), but will need to tackle the demand side as well (demand pull). One of the major challenges will consist of linking smallholder farmers to large urban consumption markets by: (i) increasing marketable surplus; (ii) consolidating supply; and (iii) adapting quality of rice to conform to urban consumer standards (Demont and Rizzotto, 2012).

Liesbeth COLEN, Matty DEMONT, Johan SWINNEN, 'Smallholder participation in value chains: The case of domestic rice in Senegal', In: Rebuilding West Africa?s Food Potential, A. Elbehri (ed.), FAO/IFAD, pp.391-415, 2013