Staple Crop Production and Per Capita Food Supply in Selected Ecowas Countries : Evidence from Country-Specific Analysis
Abstract
In this study, we analysed how staple crop production affects per capita food supply across 10 ECOWAS countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo between 2001 and 2024. The datasets for each variable across the selected countries were obtained from FAO Statistics and the World Bank and were analysed using descriptive statistics, a cross-sectional dependence test, a second-generation panel unit root test, Kao cointegration and least squares estimation. The findings indicate that all sampled countries have negative, statistically significant error-correction coefficients, confirming a stable long-term relationship among variables and that deviations from equilibrium are corrected over time. Adjustment speeds vary: Mali (77%), Togo (56%), Burkina Faso (53%), and Niger (45%) adjust very quickly, while Ghana (39%) and Benin (35%) adjust more slowly. Côte d’Ivoire (15%), Guinea (7%), Senegal (4%), and Nigeria (1.8%) adjust very slowly, with Nigeria the slowest, indicating persistent shocks possibly due to structural issues and inefficiencies. Short-run coefficients mostly indicate insignificant relationships among productivity, government spending, and food supply. In Benin, none of the variables was insignificant, suggesting no significant short-term effects of staple crops and agricultural spending on per capita food supply. Similar results were reported in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal, indicating that changes in staple crop output and agricultural spending had no short-term impact on food supply availability. In Mali and Togo, staple crop yields do not significantly influence food supply, but agricultural spending has a significant negative effect. The significant negative effect of agricultural spending on per capita food supply could be attributed to inefficiencies or misallocation of resources in public-sector agricultural interventions. Given the findings, we recommend that ECOWAS countries should focus on investing in cassava cultivation and adopt high-yield varieties to bolster regional food security.
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