Work

Abstract

People living in towns of sub-Saharan Africa spend a bigger share of their income on food than residents almost anywhere else in the world. Labourers often use over half their wage just to eat, and since Africans tend to depend on a few staple crops, rises in cereal prices can be devastating. More money on food means less on school fees, sanitation and health; it may also mean more girls forced into prostitution. In recent years, in some African markets, maize and wheat prices have risen by 30% leading to political tension in places such as Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda. Some people worry that price rises may push Sierra Leone back into conflict.