Agriculture is one of the dominant parts of Senegal's economy, even though Senegal lies within the drought-prone Sahel region. As only a tiny percentage of the land is irrigated, Senegal continues to rely on rain-fed agriculture. Agriculture occupies about 75% of the workforce. Despite a relatively wide variety of agricultural production, most farmers produce for subsistence needs. Millet, rice, corn, and sorghum are the primary food crops grown in Senegal. Production is subject to drought and threats of pests such as locusts, birds, fruit flies, and white flies. Moreover, the effects of climate change in Senegal are expected to severely harm the agricultural economy due to extreme weather such as drought, as well as increased temperatures.
Senegal is a net food importer, particularly for rice, which represents almost 75% of cereal imports. Peanuts, sugarcane, and cotton are important cash crops, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables are grown for local and export markets. In 2006, gum arabic exports soared to $280 million, making it by far the leading agricultural export. Green beans, industrial tomato, cherry tomato, melon, and mango are Senegal's main vegetable cash crops. The Casamance region, isolated from the rest of Senegal by Gambia, is an important agricultural producing area, but without the infrastructure or transportation links to improve its capacity.
Despite the lack of modernization of artisanal fishing, the fishing sector remains Senegal's main economic resource and major foreign exchange earner. The livestock and poultry sectors are relatively underdeveloped and have potential for modernization, development and growth. Senegal imports most of its milk and dairy products. The sector is inhibited due to low output and limited investments. The potential production of fauna and forest products is high and diversified, and could, if well organized, benefit poor farmers in rural areas. Although the agricultural sector was impacted by a locust invasion in 2004, it has recovered and gross agricultural production is expected to increase by 6.1% in 2006 and 5.1% in 2007.
Islam and Agriculture in Senegal
Agriculture has long been an important aspect of economic and social life in the Senegambian region. Since the nineteenth century, agricultural production has been closely associated with the growth of Islamic forms of organisation, in particular the Mouride order. While it is not precisely known when Islam initially arrived in the region, it was not until the seventeenth century that Islamic styles of organisation were able to increasingly influence agriculture and other spheres of Senegalese society (Linares 1992). In the nineteenth century, Islam became increasingly prevalent across the country, largely due to the work of Cheikh Amadou Bamba Mbacke (1853-1927), the founder of the Mourridiyya, which to this day remains one of the most popular and economically influential Sufi orders of Senegal. The influential prophet established various marabout republics whose teachings were organised in agricultural daaras (sg. daara). In these community spaces, followers of Bamba would support one another through the income of agricultural labour. The discipline of labour in conjunction with a religiously inspired work ethic was the integral tenet of the formation, which came to foster these intensely community-oriented agricultural spaces. These were spaces of open community and certainty throughout political upheaval, guerrilla warfare and anti-colonial and anti-monarchical struggles. The centrality of the importance of education, agriculture and spirituality made them spaces largely open to all castes, ethnicities, and classes.
Colonial French policies combatting economic uncertainty in the late 19th century advocated the development of peanut cultivation as a cash crop. Peanut, a widely useful resource for its culinary as well as oil-based purposes, initially expanded in a distinct area of West-Central Senegal. Later, these initial policies led to a further two waves of peanut expansion in 1910 and 1940. The 1910 growth of the peanut basin is widely attributed to a greater proximity of relations between Amadou Bamba Mbakke and the French colonial administration. Initially suspicious of one another, the French realised that Shaykh Bamba posed little political threat and was more interested in the religious and spiritual development of the people. The French began to collaborate with Mouride leadership, enlisting their widespread popular support to expand the workforce of the speculative peanut investment markets and production. The colonial administration encouraged the territorial expansion of the Mouride brotherhoods, the state allowing favourable access to forested areas. The daaras, pioneer agricultural-spiritual groups, were encouraged to spread throughout the Terres Neuves, clearing forest and engaging in the French mono-cropping agricultural policy. The Islamisation of Senegal thus went alongside the French colonial agricultural policies, where peanut prices were dependent on an uncertain global market.
The expansion was, however, diverse in its impacts across the country. Wolof groups' expansion, deeply connected to teachings of the Mouride brotherhood, in the North-Western stretches of the Terres Neuves corridor, has been demonstrative of some of the most aggressive and destructive agricultural practises seen in Senegal, where production was done with an almost exclusively short-term economic prioritisation of agriculture, with little consideration of wider environmental impacts. Other expansions by Serer groups were shown to be significantly more tuned to the needs of soil nutrients and encouraged a style of agriculture which was significantly more capable at supporting and sustaining the land on a long-term basis. While Jola peanut production only showed a connection to the Islamic religious organization in more contemporary times.
Contemporary agricultural practises continue to be influenced by Islamic beliefs and practises. For example, in Touba, the burial site of Shaykh Amadou Bamba, which continues to emerge as a growing centre of Senegalese Islamic pilgrimage, surrounding agricultural practises work to facilitate and encourage pilgrimage.
Situation and outlook on the agricultural sector With over 77 percent of the workforce employed in it and a GDP contribution of about 15 percent, agriculture is a key economic indicator. Despite the significance of agriculture, Senegal is located in the Sahel region, which is prone to drought and has patchy rainfall and generally subpar soils. As a result, almost 70% of Senegal's food requirements are satisfied by imports. Rice, wheat, corn, onions, palm oil, sugar, potatoes, and onions are the top agricultural imports into Senegal. For American producers interested in the Senegalese market, export growth may be possible for sauces, mixed condiments, seasonings, and beef and beef products. Agriculture is the main focus of President Macky Sall's economic agenda, which calls for $4 billion in investments. Massive investments in irrigation and rural roads are required by the agricultural plan, along with the construction of storage facilities, the expansion of the fishing industry, the establishment of an agricultural stock exchange market, and access to financing through the establishment of a Guarantee Fund. Senegal received $11 million worth of American agricultural exports overall in 2018. Soybean oil ($7 million), prepared foods ($1 million), sugar, sweeteners, and beverage bases ($919,000), other feeds & fodders ($883,000), and planting seeds ($317,000) are the top domestic export product categories. Food and agricultural exports from the United States to Senegal totaled $19.5 million in the calendar year 2017, or 1% of all exports of these goods to the Senegalese market. As of 2017, bulk and intermediate products made up 89 percent of all agricultural exports from the United States to Senegal.
Agricultural commodities
Peanuts
Peanut production accounts for around 40% of cultivated land, taking up 2 million hectares, and provides employment for as many as 1 million people. Although the peanut sector's contribution to foreign exchange earnings has dropped below those of fishing and mining, peanuts continue to play an important role in the overall economy as the main cash crop for many rural Senegalese farmers. Peanuts are processed locally, and prices of processed peanut oil and other peanut products are set by a government-controlled commission.
Production of unshelled peanuts varies widely because of periodic drought, and production is frequently underreported because of unauthorized sales to processors in neighbouring countries. Total production was estimated at 850,000 tons in 2005. Exports of peanut products reached about CFA 15 billion ($30 million) in 2005. They account for some 60% of total agricultural exports, 75% of which is made up of peanut oil. SUNEOR's (former SONACOS) exports of peanut oil account for 45% to 50% of the world market trade in peanut oil.
SUNEOR produces approximately 150,000 tons of crude peanut oil per year. The European market, which is its main market, can currently absorb only 90,000 tons. The newly privatized company plans to explore and develop new markets to fully utilize its capacity. Exports of peanut oil to the U.S. resumed in 2006 and were estimated at $7 million. Other major peanut oil producers include NOVASEN and the Complex of Touba.
All these three companies produce mainly non-refined peanut oil and non-grilled peanuts for export. Peanut meal/cake is predominantly sold in the local market as animal feed. The local industry also refines imported edible oils for domestic consumption. In 2005, Senegal imported approximately 90,000 tons of crude soybean oil, primarily from Brazil.
Cotton Cotton is the second largest agricultural export, accounting for around 16% of total agricultural exports. It is grown in nearly every region and covers almost one-third of cultivated acreage. However, production is concentrated in the South-Eastern part of the country, south of the Kahone–Tambacounda belt, as well as in the Casamance and Kédougou regions.
SODEFITEX, the main cotton company, forecasts production at 40,000 tons in 2006. Cotton accounts for approximately 3% of total exports and is the third source of export earnings for Senegal (some $23 million in 2005). Most cotton lint produced in Senegal is exported, but since the liberalization of the sector in 1984, producers have preferred selling in parallel markets, where they benefited from better prices. SODEFITEX, which manages most of Senegal's cotton production, was privatized in November 2003. Producers acquired 30% of the company's shares (they had no equity interest prior to privatization). Despite stronger incentives (credit to producers and guaranteed producer prices), the company is still striving to use its ginning capacity fully.
The government of Senegal is committed to participating in the U.S. government-funded West Africa Cotton Improvement Program (WACIP) in support of activities that focus on crop diversification and value-added processing.
Food grains