Ag Bendech M, Gerbouin-Rerolle P, Chauliac M, Malvy D
Centre international de l'Enfance, Paris, France.
Sante. 1996 May-Jun;6(3):173-9.
West Africa has undergone rapid economic and political changes during the last 20 years. After the failure of economic policies implemented since independence, programs for structural adjustment have strongly influenced the economy. Food problems affect each country differently. The Sahel has experienced food shortages and starvation whereas in forested countries the food supply has remained stable. Nevertheless, food policies have not succeeded in contributing to urban and rural development. The rate of urbanization in west Africa is generally low but the rate of urban population growth is particularly high, much more than the growth rates of industry and infrastructure. Although metropolitan areas are affected by poverty, they offer more hope and opportunities than rural areas. Urban markets have expanded and diversified as social differences have also increased and contributed to changes in consumption structure. Urban growth has contributed to the increase of imported food: this is indicated by both the strong dependency and the change of food habits towards western food patterns. Recently however, west African urban dwellers are still preferring local items if they are affordable. When imported products are used, they are integrated within a stable meal plan consisting of a single dish with a base and a sauce, which is typical of African food preparation. Surveys of consumption-budgets are still only available on a national scale. These can provide accurate information about food consumption patterns of families, particularly for significant trends. However, they do not provide information about the dynamics of food consumption, neither for urban areas or the individual. Now a significant proportion of individual food consumption occurs outside of the home, mainly with food provided by street vendors. This new consumption habit is a response to the urban food crisis. Consumption of street-vendor-food comprises one component but this cannot be dissociated from in-home food consumption. Despite the growing importance of street-vendor food consumption, it has still not been adequately documented. Theoretically, food consumption is an evolving concept. Single disciplines, such as economics or nutrition, first studied food consumption. More recently, social sciences developed new approaches with various interpretations, which were sometimes contradictory. The evolution of urban food consumption and the numerous related problems support the approach proposed by some authors suggesting a mixed analysis integrating both economics and cultural factors. Operationally, a global and dynamic approach to food styles must consider urban heterogeneity and diversity of situations. For example, food consumption by people maintaining their in-home food habits shows the pertinence of studies focusing on individuals. Therefore, the food course concept may be a useful method for the study of food consumption.
在过去20年里，西非经历了快速的经济和政治变革。自独立以来实施的经济政策失败后，结构调整计划对经济产生了重大影响。粮食问题在每个国家的表现各不相同。萨赫勒地区经历了粮食短缺和饥荒，而在森林覆盖的国家，粮食供应保持稳定。然而，粮食政策未能促进城乡发展。西非的城市化率总体较低，但城市人口增长率特别高，远远超过工业和基础设施的增长率。尽管大都市地区受到贫困影响，但它们比农村地区提供了更多的希望和机会。随着社会差异的增加以及消费结构的变化，城市市场得到了扩展和多样化。城市的发展导致进口食品增加：这体现在对进口食品的强烈依赖以及饮食习惯向西方饮食模式的转变上。然而，最近如果当地食品价格合理，西非城市居民仍然更喜欢选择当地食品。当使用进口产品时，它们会被纳入一个稳定的饮食计划中，该计划由一道配有主食和酱汁的单一菜肴组成，这是非洲食物烹饪的典型方式。目前关于消费预算的调查仍然仅在国家层面开展。这些调查可以提供有关家庭食物消费模式的准确信息，特别是对于重大趋势。然而，它们无法提供有关食物消费动态的信息，无论是针对城市地区还是个人。现在，相当一部分个人食物消费发生在家庭之外，主要是购买街头小贩提供的食物。这种新的消费习惯是对城市粮食危机的一种应对。街头小贩食品的消费是其中一个组成部分，但这与家庭内的食物消费无法分开。尽管街头小贩食品消费的重要性日益增加，但相关记录仍然不足。从理论上讲，食物消费是一个不断演变的概念。单一学科，如经济学或营养学，首先对食物消费进行了研究。最近，社会科学发展了新的方法，并产生了各种不同的解释，有时甚至相互矛盾。城市食物消费的演变以及众多相关问题支持了一些作者提出的综合分析方法，该方法将经济学和文化因素结合起来。在实际操作中，一种全面且动态的食物风格研究方法必须考虑城市的异质性和情况的多样性。例如，那些保持家庭饮食习惯的人的食物消费情况表明了关注个体研究的相关性。因此，食物历程概念可能是研究食物消费的一种有用方法。
