Introduction

The chapters in this study take as their common theme the analysis of risk in agricultural production, management, and policy implementation in Senegal. Because the agricultural sector occupies such an important, if not preponderant, place in the Senegalese economy, our study often borders on an analysis of that economy as a whole. In the course of what follows, we hope to shed light on formal economic approaches to risk analysis and on policy-specific applications in Senegal. In both senses our findings will be of broader comparative usefulness, particularly as regards Sahelian agriculture.