Demand for key commodities, food availability and agricultural trade balance in Sub Saharan Africa

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Raïfatou Affoh ◽  
Haixia Zheng ◽  
Kokou Dangui ◽  
Badoubatoba Mathieu Dissani

This study investigates the relationship between climate variables such as rainfall amount, temperature, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and the triple dimension of food security (availability, accessibility, and utilization) in a panel of 25 sub-Saharan African countries from 1985 to 2018. After testing for cross-sectional dependence, unit root and cointegration, the study estimated the pool mean group (PMG) panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL). The empirical outcome revealed that rainfall had a significantly positive effect on food availability, accessibility, and utilization in the long run. In contrast, temperature was harmful to food availability and accessibility and had no impact on food utilization. Lastly, CO2 emission positively impacted food availability and accessibility but did not affect food utilization. The study took a step further by integrating some additional variables and performed the panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) regression to ensure the robustness of the preceding PMG results. The control variables yielded meaningful results in most cases, so did the FMOLS and DOLS regression. The Granger causality test was conducted to determine the causal link, if any, among the variables. There was evidence of a short-run causal relationship between food availability and CO2 emission. Food accessibility exhibited a causal association with temperature, whereas food utilization was strongly connected with temperature. CO2 emission was linked to rainfall. Lastly, a bidirectional causal link was found between rainfall and temperature. Recommendations to the national, sub-regional, and regional policymakers are addressed and discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Frelat ◽  
Santiago Lopez-Ridaura ◽  
Ken E. Giller ◽  
Mario Herrero ◽  
Sabine Douxchamps ◽  
...  

We calculated a simple indicator of food availability using data from 93 sites in 17 countries across contrasted agroecologies in sub-Saharan Africa (>13,000 farm households) and analyzed the drivers of variations in food availability. Crop production was the major source of energy, contributing 60% of food availability. The off-farm income contribution to food availability ranged from 12% for households without enough food available (18% of the total sample) to 27% for the 58% of households with sufficient food available. Using only three explanatory variables (household size, number of livestock, and land area), we were able to predict correctly the agricultural determined status of food availability for 72% of the households, but the relationships were strongly influenced by the degree of market access. Our analyses suggest that targeting poverty through improving market access and off-farm opportunities is a better strategy to increase food security than focusing on agricultural production and closing yield gaps. This calls for multisectoral policy harmonization, incentives, and diversification of employment sources rather than a singular focus on agricultural development. Recognizing and understanding diversity among smallholder farm households in sub-Saharan Africa is key for the design of policies that aim to improve food security.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hameed Khan ◽  
Umair Khan ◽  
Li Jun Jiang ◽  
Muhammad Asif Khan ◽  
Syed Hasanat Shah

This study seeks to investigate theimpactof China’sexchange rate onthe trade balance of 41 Sub‑aharan African countries for the period from 1994 to 2016. Using an augmented gravity model, the grouped and ungrouped results of the study confirm the elasticity and absorption approaches of the trade balance. Similarly, the robustness check, by dividing the sample period into two sub‑eriods (2005–016 and 1994–004), also confirms the elasticity and absorption approaches of the trade balance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2555
Author(s):  
Mihasina Harinaivo Andrianarimanana ◽  
Pu Yongjian

This study assesses the impacts of technological innovation in Sub-Saharan African agriculture on local and global economies. Using the Eaton–Kortum model, with θ = 4.0875, the results show that comparative advantage’s positive impact on agricultural trade more than offsets the negative impacts of geography barriers. Sub-Saharan Africa is among the least competitive region with respect to agriculture production. This is due to its low value of the technology parameter, about 0.16 compared to the North American’s one (93.23). We found that increasing the technology of a country in Sub-Saharan Africa would increase world trade volume within the range of 0.02 to 0.19%. It would increase the local agricultural monthly wage and the welfare of farmers in the Sub-Saharan African region. Therefore, to improve technology in the Sub-Saharan African region, policymakers need to attract foreign direct investment by making incentives and increasing labor skills. This study adds to the literature by determining the contribution of the agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan Africa in global economic development through international trade. It also informs policies on the reduction of poverty and food insecurity around the world in order to achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goals.


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