A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS AND FOOD SECURITY IN WEST AFRICA

Food security is an issue that is still an ongoing challenge in West Africa and this problem has not been addressed in spite of the fact that the region is highly reliant on agriculture and it is highly productive. Food insecurity is also experienced in most countries even when the levels of food output have been relatively high. This implies that the issue of food security is not solely explained by the issue of production restrictions. The logistics of food traveling between farms and markets, and the predictability of food delivery to consumers is a significant concept that is not given the necessary attention. This paper provides a literature survey of existing scholarly and institutional literature to suggest the relationship between food supply chains and food security in West Africa. The review includes peer-reviewed articles and policy reports that are published between 2010 and 2025. These sources cover various processes that involve the food supply chain such as storage, transportation, processing and distribution. In the literature, common issues are pinpointed especially inadequate infrastructure, excessive losses during the post-harvest period, lack of coordination between markets, lack of access to finance as well as governance issues. Although these issues are frequently reported, they are not necessarily analyzed collectively and their mutual impact on the food security is usually talked about in a piecemeal manner. The assessed literature suggests that the inefficiencies across supply lines lead to the decrease of the food availability and increase in more and unstable prices, particularly in low-income households. The evidence is however not always consistent and in most instances the effect of certain supply chain improvements is not directly measured. This complicates the comparison of the outcomes of various countries or the evaluation of the most effective interventions. This review contends that food supply chain ought to be considered as a central agenda of the food security policy in West Africa as opposed to as a peripheral issue. Enhancing logistics, storage and market integration will probably enhance the availability and stability of food but more empirical studies are required to determine the magnitude of such responses.