We eat what we have, not what we want: The policy effects of food riots and eating after the 2008 crisis in Cameroon

This chapter discusses the events of the 2008 food riot in Cameroon and the policy responses. The events of 2008 in Cameroon reported globally as 'food riots' were motivated by a mix of political concerns: "the draft amendment of the Constitution, which was seen as an extension of the mandate of President Paul Biya and his regime of bad governance and the rise in price of fuel and food". The simultaneous rise in fuel prices compounded the local effects of the food price rise. An International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) paper calculated the change in food prices from June 2007 to June 2008 in food markets across Africa, including Cameroon. The accessibility/adequacy tradeoff is the reality for many in urban Cameroon. Circumstances dictate that urban residents must make a compromise for cheaper, less diverse food options instead of maintaining a diet of diverse proteins, starches and vegetables.