MEASURING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Charles Nhemachena (), Rashid Hassan () and Pradeep Kurukulasuriya ()
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Charles Nhemachena: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, P. O. Box 395 Brummeria Pretoria 0001, South Africa
Rashid Hassan: Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy in Africa (CEEPA), University of Pretoria, Department of Agricultural, Economics and Rural Development, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Pradeep Kurukulasuriya: Energy and Environment Group/Climate Change Adaptation, United Nations Development Programme, New York, USA

Climate Change Economics (CCE), 2010, vol. 01, issue 01, 33-55

Abstract: This study measured the economic impacts of climate change on crop and livestock farming in Africa based on a cross-sectional survey of over 8000 farming households from 11 countries in east, west, north and southern Africa. The response of net revenue from crop and livestock agriculture across various farm types and systems in Africa to changes in climate normals (i.e. mean rainfall and temperature) is analysed. The analyses controlled for effects of key socioeconomic, technology, soil and hydrological factors influencing agricultural production. Results show that net farm revenues are in general negatively affected by warmer and drier climates. The small-scale mixed crop and livestock system predominantly typical in Africa is the most tolerant whereas specialized crop production is the most vulnerable to warming and lower rainfall. These results have important policy implications, especially for the suitability of the increasing tendency toward large-scale mono-cropping strategies for agricultural development in Africa and other parts of the developing world in light of expected climate changes. Mixed crop and livestock farming and irrigation offered better adaptation options for farmers against further warming and drying predicted under various future climate scenarios.

Keywords: Climate change; impacts; agriculture; Africa; Ricardian model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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DOI: 10.1142/S2010007810000066

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