Impact of Climate Variability on Crop Diversification in West African Countries
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Date
2021-10-27
Authors
ABOUA, Angui Christian Dorgelès Kevin
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Economic Research Consortium
Abstract
This paper analyses the impact of climate variability on cereal, root and tuber crops
diversification for selected West Africa countries during the period 1965-2014. Crop
diversification index, lumping together cereal, root and tuber crops, was calculated
through the Composite Entropy Index. Climate variability is measured by the coefficient
of variation of temperature and precipitation. A Seemingly Unrelated Regression was
used to estimate the relationship between climate variability and crop diversification
by controlling for supply and demand side factors of crop diversification. Overall,
the results reveal that variability in temperature and precipitation over decades
did not have an adverse effect on cereal root and tuber crops diversification. A
detail analysis showed that Niger and Togo have been the most adapted to climate
variability while Ghana was the most affected, mainly by precipitation variability.
The results also indicated that, on the supply side, the availability of agricultural land
contributed to crop diversification. Productivity, which is expected to increase crop
diversification, was positive and significant in very few countries. In the others, it was
not enough to improve crop diversification. On the demand side, population growth
and consumption led to crop diversification, particularly in consumption of roots
and tuber crops. This study suggests that greater diversification would mitigate the
negative impact of climate variability. Therefore, regional and national agricultural
policies aimed at increasing productivity are necessary to encourage farmers to
diversify food crops under climate variability.