Publication

This paper examines the effect of weather on grain market performance in Niger, a country increasingly affected by drought and severe food crises. Using a dataset that combines information on rainfall, agricultural production, prices and transaction costs, the author exploits rainfall variation to estimate the impact of drought on grain market performance between 1997 and 2006. The results suggest that early warning systems in West Africa should focus on the spatial impact of drought at the sub-regional level, as well as monitor prices in key forecasting markets during the harvest period.