stock produced by small farr.:ers" v:ith a viev.· to stirr.ulatirq in­ creased food and livestock prcaucticn arrl increasir'q the marketable surplus. 98. Ir. spite of the numerous chror.ic and ir.te;rlcckir:q prcblems facing food arxi agricultural production in many developir:q African countries, the prospects are enccuraqinq. Perhaps the most prcnisinq aspect is the desire and determiraticn cf the Governments and people of Africa to solve these problems themsel­ ves. This was shewn by the Freetcwn D~claraticn (1976), the Reqicnal Food Plan fer Africa {1978), the r.1cnrovia Declaratic..n (1979) ar.d the Lac;os Plan of Action {198C). The task ahead is formidable, but the rescl ve is hioh and morale is improving. Al­ ready three relatively promisir.q develcpmert.s may be noted. The 58 E/ECA/C~i. 9/5 first is the shift cf emphasis ir, deplcyinq ar; ir,creasinq share of developrr.ent resources to raise both the rate cf increase arrl the volume cf focd and aqricul tural cut put. The second is the special efforts bei nq made by P.frica I" Gover nne r:ts in reduci nq food losses and buildir.q rational stockpiles tc ensure a r.-.inimum safe level of basic food stocks. Last but not least is the ef­ fort teinq made to improve incentive structures, ir:trcduce water rna naqeme nt and irriqa tior. schemes and effect mooest ir.1prcvements in marketir;q ari.l physical infrastructure. 99. In spite of the reasonably qocd prospects, the risinc; impcrt bill fer cereals is still a cause of ccr.cern. Ir North Africa, for example, trend projectiorJs indicate a hiqher prcpensi ty to import, especially for cereals, meat arrl suqar. Aqricultural production is expected to increase, but not enouqh to reverse the neqative trend of per capita food prccuctior.. Prcducticn prospects for 1982 in the \lest African subreoic·n are fairly qcod for most of the countries, except Mali, which experier~ced in­
**Analysis**
The text discusses the development of food and livestock production in Africa, highlighting the challenges and prospects of increasing agricultural productivity, reducing food losses, and improving market infrastructure. The text also mentions the need to address specific issues such as irrigation schemes and water management. Given the focus on agricultural production and development, it is likely that the text belongs to the category of agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

**Category**
Agriculture, forestry and fishing