Africa Five: Research Tasks

• Review and analysis of the current agricultural policy and market reform programs;
• Analysis of the structure, operation, and performance of commodity markets;
• Analysis of the determinants of local marketing costs and factors influencing traders' investment behavior; and
• Analysis of price response to market reform.

The project was implemented in five African countries: three countries in West Africa: Benin, Ghana and Senegal; and two countries in Southern Africa: Malawi and Madagascar. The countries were selected to capture various institutional and structural characteristics of the economic environment under which market reforms have been initiated, including: a) geographic factors (coastal vs. landlocked); b) degree of private market development; and c) nature and extent of progress in adopted reforms. The study focused on the following commodity markets in each of the selected African country studies: the maize market in Benin, Malawi, and Ghana; and the rice market in Madagascar and Senegal.

In its second phase, in-depth studies will be carried out in Benin, Madagascar and Malawi to analyze the farm level implications of the reform programs.

For further information please contact: Markets and Structural Studies Division, IFPRI, 2033 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20006, U.S.A.