Transport, Technology, and Energy Inefficiencies in West Africa’s Small Holder Farms: Implications for Food Security and Socio-economic Development

The paper examines the inefficiencies of transport, technology and energy in West Africa’s small-holder farms, with implications for food security and socio-economic development. Particularly, the paper, focused on how efficient transport system, precision and climate smart agriculture can be leveraged through the technology-energy mix to reduce post-harvest food loss and waste (PHFLW), poor production output, and mitigation of climate change challenges on small holder farming in West Africa. By employing documentary method of data collection and Transformation Theory, the study found that there is need for radical and fundamental change of government policies and actions regarding technology, transport and energy sectors in West Africa, particularly in rural areas where small-holder farmers still rely on crude and traditional methods of farming that are unsustainable. The study also found that if the current methods small farm holders employ continues, West Africa will not be able to feed its teeming population that is said to rise to 540million by 2030. The study therefore concludes and recommends that small holder farmers must be adequately educated and sensitized to jettison crude agricultural practices and certain belief systems that are antithetical to agricultural productivity and socio-economic development. Keywords: Post Harvest Food Loss and Waste, Transport, Energy, Technology, Small Holder Farms, Food Security