Book Description
This book analyzes the contemporary food crisis in Africa from an historical perspective, using two West African case studies. From the perspective of food production and entitlement, the volume traces the economic history of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, beginning with the slave trade, through the colonial and postcolonial periods to democratization and structural adjustment. Using the theory and methodology of political economy, the study argues that the way in which African societies have been integrated into the world market diverted resources from food production and exacerbated exploitation. This affected entitlement to the food produced, created the conditions for national food dependency, and contributed to the degradation of the environment.


About the Author
LAURA BIGMAN is founder of the Africans in Washington Project and is currently a Research Associate in the African Studies Department at Howard University.

FROM THE PUBLISHER