A systematic review of drivers and constraints on agricultural expansion in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Nugun P. Jellason, Elizabeth Robinson (), Abbie S.A. Chapman, Dora Neina, Adam J.M. Devenish, June Y.T. Po and Barbara Adolph

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Understanding the dynamics of agricultural expansion, their drivers, and interactions is critical for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem‐services provision, and the future sustainability of agricultural development in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). However, there is limited understanding of the drivers of agricultural expansion. A systematic review of the drivers of agricultural expansion was conducted from 1970 to 2020 using Web of Science, Elsevier Scopus and Google Scholar. Two researchers reviewed the papers separately based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Fifteen papers were included in the final systematic review. The paper proposed expansion pathways in a conceptual framework and identified proximate and underlying drivers. Population dynamics and gov-ernment policies were found to be key underlying drivers of agricultural expansion. The proximate drivers include economic opportunities such as agriculture mechanisation and cash crops produc-tion, and more troubling trends such as soil fertility decline and climate change and variability. This paper further explores the constraints that have been found to slow down agricultural expansion, including strong land institutions and good governance.

Keywords: agricultural expansion; conservation; constraints; drivers; Sub‐Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J01 R14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2021-03-23
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-env
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published in Land, 23, March, 2021, 10(3). ISSN: 2073-445X

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Related works:
Journal Article: A Systematic Review of Drivers and Constraints on Agricultural Expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa (2021)
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