Spatial organization of food supply in four West African cities[Organisation spatiale de l'approvisionnement alimentaire dans 4 villes d'Afrique de l'ouest]

As global urbanization accelerates, food security and the resilience of urban supply chains have become critical issues, particularly in West Africa, where the urban population is projected to reach 65.7% by 2050. This study, based on food flow data collected from 2013 to 2017 by Karg et al. (2023), analyzes the spatial organization of supply inflows in four West African cities: Bamenda, Bamako, Ouagadougou, and Tamale. A constraint-based model was developed to assess both the efficiency and resilience of supply chains in response to various shock scenarios, such as climate disruptions or fuel price increases. The results show that several factorsincluding product type, perishability, geographic origin, seasonal variations, and the specific characteristics of each city-shape the organization of food supplies. These dynamics play a central role in the cities' capacity to maintain stable supplies and adapt to crises, thereby enhancing the resilience of urban food systems. The model calibration will further enable a detailed interpretation of future results through the lens of supply dynamics and resilience.