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Wholesale markets in African cities. Diagnosis, role, advantages, and elements for further study and development






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    Wholesale Markets in African Cities. Diagnosis, Role, Advantages, and Elements for further Study and Development
    Food Supply and Distribution to Cities in French-Speaking Africa
    1997
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    The paper discusses the importance, potential and limitations of wholesale markets in the supply and distribution of food in African cities. A brief overview of food marketing systems shows that most major African cities lack specialized and efficient wholesale markets, even though their function is a critical factor in the effectiveness of any food marketing system. In general urban food markets in Africa are characterized by inadequate marketing infrastructure leading to congestion and the ove rflow of traders onto streets and pavements, inefficient storage, handling and packaging of produce resulting in excessive waste (through spoilage), poor produce quality and rather high distribution costs. Another common problem in African food marketing systems is information asymmetry between traders and producers, which weakens the bargaining position of the producers and exposes them to considerable price uncertainty. The underdevelopment of the wholesale sector is in part a consequence of t hese problems and also accentuates inefficiency in food marketing.
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    Rethinking Government Roles in Livestock Sector Development in Dynamic Markets: Case Studies from Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam 2007
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    In many countries, the roles of government in livestock sector development are restricted to providing research, extension, credit and animal health services. Yet dynamic markets have created new opportunities and challenges that call for new roles. To help build the capacity of the sector to respond effectively to rapidly evolving market conditions, governments should rethink their approach to livestock sector development.
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    Food Security in African Cities - The Role of Food Supply and Distribution Systems
    Food supply and distribution in francophone African Towns
    1997
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    This paper examines the relationship between food security and the Food Supply and Distribution Systems (FSDS) in Francophone African towns, against the background of a steeply rising urban demand, in a fluctuating social and economic environment. It also provides input for the preparation of policies to develop urban FSDS to improve the food security of the people in the countries of Africa undergoing economic stabilization programmes. Looking back and at different countries one can see t hat FSDS are highly dependent on the concept of general policy, which itself swings according to convictions currently in vogue. FSDS can only be viewed in terms of social objectives, which are an essential prerequisite to defining policy. After reviewing the major challenges facing urban Africa today and tomorrow, the paper examines the particular context of the structural adjustment programmes and their impacts on different constituent elements of food security: meeting need in terms of quantity and quality, access and risk. This is followed by a consideration of the political options for the future: should priority go to supplying the towns, using national, regional or international resources? What role should government and the institutions, including the financial institutions, play? How can employment be fostered, and under what conditions? How should the information needed to ensure the proper operation of a free market system be managed? A number of indispensable issues b efore defining FSDS development policies are then developed: clear objectives must be pursued by government, a methodological framework adopted with a ulti-disciplinary focus, a food security monitoring system instituted, and the policies adopted must be evaluated.

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