Balancing tradition and modernity: meat consumption trends in coastal West Africa

This study investigates the perceptions of meat quality among urban consumers in three West African capital cities: Dakar, Abidjan, and Abuja, with the goal of assessing the market potential for meat from extensive Sahelian livestock systems. To complement large-scale quantitative assessments of West African urban meat demand (e.g., ILRI/CIRAD household surveys), this qualitative study applies Convention Theory to unpack the underlying social, cultural, and quality-evaluation logics of consumers. Based on 49 focus group discussions across low-, middle-, and high-income households in Dakar, Abidjan, and Abuja, qualitative transcripts were systematically analyzed in QDA Miner Lite to evaluate consumer quality conventions based on a variety of criteria, including intrinsic characteristics like taste and freshness, as well as extrinsic factors such as price, origin, and safety. The findings reveal that consumers’ choices are guided by a balance of different “quality conventions”. The organoleptic convention, which focuses on taste and appearance, is the most dominant factor in their decision-making, followed closely by the market convention, where price and accessibility are key. The study also identifies a significant role for the industrial convention, as consumers value modern practices like clean points of sale and hygienic packaging. However, this is nuanced by a strong preference for “local” and “traditional” products, which is driven by a domestic convention rooted in trust and familiarity. Consumers also rely on a civic convention, linking their choices to societal principles like supporting the local economy and animal welfare. The conclusion suggests that for meat from Sahelian pastoral systems to thrive, it must professionalize its processes to meet hygiene standards while also leveraging its traditional, healthy, and local identity.