The Global Food Crisis: Disaster, Opportunity or Non-event? Household Level Evidence from Côte d’Ivoire

SummaryUsing 2008 LSMS data for Côte d’Ivoire, we study the welfare implications of the price increase of key imported staple food—rice—and consider the consumption smoothing effect of locally produced food and cash crop varieties. While middle income urban households are adversely affected by rising rice prices, relatively poor rural households benefit. Availability of local staple alternatives leads to further income redistribution from net consumers toward net producers of staples. By contrast, the ability to generate income from tropical cash crops not only improves the welfare of rural households, but helps smooth the consumption of urban households.