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African Agricultural Value Chains: A Brief Historical Overview

In: African Farmers, Value Chains and Agricultural Development

Author

Listed:
  • Alan de Brauw

    (International Food Policy Research Institute)

  • Erwin Bulte

    (Wageningen University and Research)

Abstract

African agricultural value chains have gradually evolved from informal exchange to more formalization in general, yet this process has not been linear in time. Policy changes between colonial and post-colonial regimes first shifted at least some smallholders into more formalized markets, and then back to selling surplus on spot markets. The colonial era can be characterized as extractive; institutions were developed to extract value from Africa and provide cheap food to Europe, particularly tropical commodities. Many post-colonial governments continued to implicitly tax agriculture through urban bias and pricing, tariff, or exchange rate policies until structural adjustment occurred in the 1990s. Since then, several factors have improved African agricultural performance, including an infusion of FDI and private sector investments and changes in agricultural policy in Europe improving African terms of trade.

Suggested Citation

  • Alan de Brauw & Erwin Bulte, 2021. "African Agricultural Value Chains: A Brief Historical Overview," Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy, in: African Farmers, Value Chains and Agricultural Development, chapter 0, pages 21-37, Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:psachp:978-3-030-88693-6_2
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-88693-6_2
    as

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