The authors of this book address these questions through an analysis based on an extensive review of experiences with reform, focusing on three major agricultural markets: fertilizer, food crops, and export crops. They examine the historical rationales for intervention, the factors contributing to reform, the process of implementation, and the impact of the reforms on farmers and consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The authors find that reforms have had many favorable results, but that the impact has been muted by partial implementation and structural constraints. They propose a new agenda for promoting the development of agricultural markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, identifying areas where governments can play a supportive role. They argue that appropriate agricultural marketing policies and investments can improve livelihoods and the economic health of the region.

"This book is the most comprehensive and cogent synthesis of wisdom from studies of the African experience with agricultural market reforms and their consequences for growth, productivity, and poverty. Using a clear framework for assessing results from the reform experience, the authors conclude that the supply response and productivity of farms increase when price reforms are accompanied by judicious institutional changes and government commitment to reform. The book has a rich menu of ideas for practitioners and researchers engaged in freeing Africa from hunger and poverty through a market reform process that is complete, home-grown, and bold."

-- Benno Ndulu, Lead Economist, World Bank Macroeconomics Division for Eastern Africa, and former Executive Director, African Economic Research Consortium

"This review of agricultural market reform in Africa over the last two decades is timely. Agricultural research and policy reform during that period, while necessary, did not result in the expected growth in agricultural productivity. The authors cogently argue that the reform process needs to be completed, but more importantly that a new policy and institutional agenda is needed to develop well-functioning and efficient agricultural markets and motivate further development of a nascent private sector, a view congruent with recent changes in the Rockefeller Foundation's food security program in Africa."

-- Gary Toenniessen, Director for Food Security, The Rockefeller Foundation