Global Forum on Food Security and NutritionA global knowledge sharing network facilitated by
the Agricultural Development Economics Division of FAO

Import tariffs and costly import procedures may explain why consumers in the United Republic of Tanzania pay relatively high prices for wheat. Although wheat farmers benefit from higher prices, domestic production has not increased. Indeed, since 2000 domestic wheat production has been able to cover only about 20 per cent of the country’s consumption requirements.

 Findings from a recent study conducted by the Monitoring African Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) project suggest that:

• - simplifying procedures for importing wheat and reducing overall import costs would make wheat more affordable for consumers;
• - monitoring re-exports of wheat flour to neighbouring countries would help ensure that lower import tariffs for wheat actually lead to lower domestic prices; and
• - supporting efforts to develop wheat varieties adapted to local agro-ecological and climatic conditions, and expanding related extension services, are crucial for increasing wheat production.

Women make essential contributions to agriculture in developing countries, where they constitute approximately 43 percent of the agricultural labor force. However, female farmers typically have lower output per unit of land and are much less likely to be active in commercial farming than their male counterparts. These gender differences in land productivity and participation between male and female farmers are due to gender differences in access to inputs, resources, and services. In this paper, we review the evidence on productivity differences and access to resources. We discuss some of the reasons for these differences, such as differences in property rights, education, control over resources (e.g., land), access to inputs and services (e.g., fertilizer, extension, and credit), and social norms. Although women are less active in commercial farming and are largely excluded from contract farming, they often provide the bulk of wage labor in the nontraditional export sector. In general, gender gaps do not appear to fall systematically with growth, and they appear to rise with GDP per capita and with greater access to resources and inputs. Active policies that support women's access and participation, not just greater overall access, are essential if these gaps are to be closed. The gains in terms of greater productivity of land and overall production are likely to be large.

Andre Croppenstedt,  Markus Goldstein and Nina Rosas

Cattle farmers in Burkina Faso receive low prices and have few incentives to increase production and marketing. Cattle producers would receive higher prices if several specific measures, for example increasing export opportunities, were in place. 

Ghana’s dependency on imported rice, and excessive costs and taxes on rice imports, lead to high prices for consumers. However high prices for consumers do not translate into higher prices for farmers.