Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Agri-Food Systems in West Africa

Hamid El Bilali (), Lawali Dambo, Jacques Nanema, Sheirita Reine Fanta Tietiambou, Iro Dan Guimbo and Romaric Kiswendsida Nanema
Additional contact information
Hamid El Bilali: International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM-Bari), Via Ceglie 9, Valenzano, 70010 Bari, Italy
Lawali Dambo: Department of Geography, Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, Abdou Moumouni University, Niamey P.O. Box 237, Niger
Jacques Nanema: Programme Agrinovia, Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, 03 BP, Ouagadougou 7021, Burkina Faso
Sheirita Reine Fanta Tietiambou: University Centre of Gaoua, Nazi BONI University, 01 BP, Bobo-Dioulasso 1091, Burkina Faso
Iro Dan Guimbo: Department of Rural Engineering, Water and Forests, Faculty of Agronomy, Abdou Moumouni University, Niamey P.O. Box 237, Niger
Romaric Kiswendsida Nanema: Biosciences Laboratory, Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, 03 BP, Ouagadougou 7021, Burkina Faso

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-23

Abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic affected not only the functioning of food supply chains but also the performance and outcomes of agri-food systems. In this context, this paper analyses the scholarly literature dealing with the impacts of the pandemic on West African agriculture and food systems. A search carried out on the Web of Science in March 2023 returned 176 records and 87 eligible documents were included in the systematic review. The bibliometric analysis suggests a decreasing interest in the research field. Moreover, a large share of the eligible articles are authored by researchers based outside West Africa. There is a research gap, especially in Cabo Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger and Togo. Studies focus on the crop production subsector and consumption stage. The pandemic affected all four dimensions/pillars of food security (viz. availability, access, utilisation/use, and stability). However, most of the analysed documents focus on food access (economic accessibility and physical accessibility). Moreover, COVID-19 affected all the dimensions of agri-food systems (viz. environmental, economic, social, and political) but the analysed articles focus on the pandemic’s socio-economic impacts, especially those relating to food security and health. The promotion of research on the impacts of the pandemic on agri-food systems in West Africa is paramount to designing the evidence-based policies needed to improve the preparedness of the region for current and future crises and shocks.

Keywords: bibliometrics; coronavirus; food security; nutrition; sustainable agriculture; sustainable food system; resilience; Sahel; sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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