Agri-food markets in Africa are not well integrated at local, regional and international levels, with trade barriers hampering exports/imports and value chain development. Increased market access through trade may benefit income and overall welfare, and at the same time, improve food security, providing people in Africa with sufficient and nutritious food at fair prices.

Agricultural Trade and Market Access for Food Security (ATMA4FS) project aims to provide insights on opportunities and challenges towards local, regional and international market integration for African countries. For this purpose, the project investigates the relationship of market integration with trade agreements, non-tariff measures (e.g. sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade and customs procedures), private standards, price trends and volatility, and market logistics/infrastructure and institutions. It uses case studies from three African countries (Senegal, Ghana and South Africa) and two African trade regions (Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and Southern Africa Development Community, SADC), and explores EU-Africa trade relations, focusing on three product categories that are important for current and potential African trade: fresh fruits and vegetables, grain products, and meat.