Despite recurrent crop failures, there is evidence that households in the West African Semiarid Tropics (WASAT) are still able to assure their food security. This article explores two issues: 1) Does WASAT household income diversification (that is, earning noncropping income in addition to, or...

The paper examines strategies used by rural households in the Sahelian and Sudanian zones of Burkina Faso to ensure food security in the face of drought-induced cropping shortfalls. It finds that three quarters of the average household income in the Sahel sample and half of the same in the...

This paper investigates the role of temporal uncertainty and information issues in economic decisions. It shows that the nature of the economic environment (e.g. the production technology) can influence the valuation of information, which in turn affects the choice functions. This is illustrated...