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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 11 June 2024 | Viewed by 20834

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. John Asafu-Adjaye

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Guest Editor

1. School of Economics, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
2. African Center for Economic Transformation, Accra, Ghana
Interests: agricultural economics; applied economics; energy economics; environment and resource economics; climate change; economic development

Dr. Abebe Shimeles

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Guest Editor

African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya
Interests: environment and resource economics; economic development

Prof. Dr. Théophile Azomahou

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Guest Editor

African Economic Research Consortium, Nairobi, Kenya
Interests: environment and resource economics; economic development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current evidence indicates that, apart from the expected temperature rise and drying in most parts of Africa, climate change will result in increases in both the frequency and severity of extreme weather

Events, such as droughts and floods. This will harm the foundations of Africa’s development, from health systems to agriculture, ecosystems, water resources, energy resources and physical infrastructure, with adverse implications for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Many African countries, which are already facing climate-related stresses, such as droughts, floods, locust infestation and variable rainfall, are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to low adaptive capacity.

Agriculture will be the hardest hit sector due to its dependence on rainfall. Seven out of ten Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and it accounts for about a quarter of the GDP of African economies, on average, and as much as 50% in some countries.

This Special Issue in Sustainability draws from studies conducted under the African Economic Research Consortium’s Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation-funded collaborative research project on Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa (CCEDA). The studies utilize a combination of different data types (primary level, secondary level, national level and aggregate) and estimation strategies to put forward empirical evidence to show that technological innovations, such as climate-smart agriculture (CSA), can be harnessed to lift farm productivity and mitigate the adverse economic impacts of climate change in Africa. This volume features 12 studies on the following topics:

Climate-smart agriculture;
Climate change and migration;
Extreme climate events and conflict;
Climate and gender inequality and the labor market;
Climate impacts on food prices and inflation;
Drought impacts and adaptation options.

Dr. John Asafu-Adjaye
Dr. Abebe Shimeles
Prof. Dr. Théophile Azomahou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

climate change
climate adaptation
climate-smart agriculture
gender
extreme climate events
conflict
household welfare
Africa

Published Papers (12 papers)

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15 pages, 296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Change and Inclusive Finance: Does Governance Quality Matter for African Countries?

by Hela Borgi, Fatma Mabrouk, Jihen Bousrih and Mohamed Mehdi Mekni

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3533; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043533 - 14 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1828 | Correction

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of environmental change on inclusive finance in African countries during the period 1996–2020. It also investigates the moderating role of government quality on the association between environmental change and inclusive finance. We collected five-year average data from various sources such as the World Development Indicators, the World Governance Indicators, and the International Monetary Fund. Government quality is measured by six dimensions: political stability, voice and accountability, government effectiveness, regulation quality, the rule of law, and corruption control. Environmental change is measured by CO₂ emissions. Inclusive finance is measured by the financial development index through depth, access, and efficiency ratios. These variables represent the most used in prior studies as they are published by international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which represent a reputable source of timely information related to the business environment in which business executives operate in several countries. The results show a significant impact of environmental change on inclusive finance. Including economic governance induces a significant and positive effect on financial inclusion in all instances. Our results also show that the coefficients of the interaction between environmental change and governance dimensions are positive and significant. The moderator role of governance is improved when taking into account political, institutional, and economic governance. Our findings offer more motivation for regulators and governments to develop environmental policies that integrate inclusive finance to meet sustainable development goals. Our results are important as they can help regulators, investors, and policymakers to assess and better understand the potential moderation role of governance quality in the relationship between inclusive finance and environmental change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

17 pages, 1439 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Air Pollution in Urban Africa: Understanding Attitudes and Economic Valuation in the Case of Dakar, Senegal

by Sokhna Mbathio Diallo and Abdoulaye Seck

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1494; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021494 - 12 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1500

Abstract

The degradation of air quality is a real concern in Africa, as pollution levels are consistently above commonly accepted thresholds, and yet, very little is known about individual attitudes and the extent to which improved air quality is valued in the context of rapid urbanization. This research proposes to analyze the willingness to pay for reduced air quality in African urban areas. Using survey data from 427 individuals in Dakar (Senegal) between February and May 2019, a double-bound, dichotomous contingent valuation model is developed. The results first suggest that 70% of individuals are indeed willing to pay an average of CFA Francs 3114.8 (USD 5.6) per month to contribute to air quality improvement, and the corresponding value of a life year gained is estimated at CFA Francs 35,550.2 (USD 80) at least. The results also point to a great deal of heterogeneity in individual valuation schemes, as they vary with the perceptions of life expectancy gains, payment vehicles, and various individual characteristics, and also across months with different levels of temperatures. These findings could constitute important inputs into public strategies aimed at improving air quality in the African context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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17 pages, 2737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rainfall Projections from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 in the Volta River Basin: Implications on Achieving Sustainable Development

by Sam-Quarcoo Dotse, Isaac Larbi, Andrew Manoba Limantol, Peter Asare-Nuamah, Louis Kusi Frimpong, Abdul-Rauf Malimanga Alhassan, Solomon Sarpong, Emmanuel Angmor and Angela Kyerewaa Ayisi-Addo

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1472; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021472 - 12 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1411

Abstract

Climate change has become a global issue, not only because it affects the intensity and frequency of rainfall but also because it impacts the economic development of regions whose economies heavily rely on rainfall, such as the West African region. Hence, the need for this study, which is aimed at understanding how rainfall may change in the future over the Sahel, Savannah, and coastal zones of the Volta River Basin (VRB). The trends and changes in rainfall between 2021–2050 and 1985–2014 under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) scenarios were analyzed after evaluating the performance of three climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) using Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) as observation. The results show, in general, a relatively high correlation and low spatial biases for rainfall (r > 0.91, −20% < Pbias < 20%) over the entire Volta Basin for the models’ ensemble mean. An increasing trend and projected increase in annual rainfall under the SSP2-4.5 scenario is 6.0% (Sahel), 7.3% (Savannah), and 2.6% (VRB), but a decrease of 1.1% in the coastal zone. Similarly, under SSP5-8.5, the annual rainfall is projected to increase by 32.5% (Sahel), +22.8% (Savannah), 23.0% (coastal), and 24.9% (VRB), with the increase being more pronounced under SSP5-8.5 compared to the SSP2-4.5 scenario. The findings of the study would be useful for planning and designing climate change adaptation measures to achieve sustainable development at the VRB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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22 pages, 1425 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate-Smart Agriculture, Non-Farm Employment and Welfare: Exploring Impacts and Options for Scaling Up

by Eleni Yitbarek and Wondimagegn Tesfaye

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15981; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315981 - 30 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1671

Abstract

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been receiving increasing attention in recent policy dialogues for its potential to improve agricultural transformation, risk management, and welfare. This study seeks to provide evidence on the welfare impacts of CSA adoption and its complementarity with non-farm employment using household-level data from Ethiopia combined with novel historical weather data. The study uses a multinomial endogenous switching regression model to deal with selection bias and farmer heterogeneity. The results show that households adopting CSA enjoy higher welfare benefits than non-adopter households. Households experience a higher welfare impact (lower monetary and multidimensional poverty rate) when CSA and non-farm employment are adopted simultaneously. However, there is less evidence regarding the complementarity between CSA and non-farm employment when considering per capita consumption expenditure. The study findings will have important policy implications for climate change adaptation, resilience, and poverty reduction in low-income countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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22 pages, 1328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Drought Impacts on the Crop Sector and Adaptation Options in Burkina Faso: A Gender-Focused Computable General Equilibrium Analysis

by Boureima Sawadogo

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15637; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142315637 - 24 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1833

Abstract

The crop sector in Burkina Faso has been facing recurrent droughts since 1970. This study analyzes the impacts of droughts and adaptation options such as the use of irrigation capacity development methods, integrated soil management and drought-tolerant crop varieties on the crop sector. Indeed, we focus on the consequences of agricultural droughts on economic growth and employment and on the gender dimension of household poverty. Using a gendered dynamic computable general equilibrium model linked to a microsimulation model, we conduct simulations of various drought scenarios (mild, moderate and severe). We show that the mild, moderate and intense droughts experienced by Burkina Faso over the past ten years have negatively affected the country’s economic performance and considerably degraded the welfare of its households. The gross domestic product has fallen by 3.0% in the short term and 3.3% in the long term due to intense droughts. Moreover, the number of poor people is growing faster in male-headed households than in female-headed households. Given the large female population in both groups of households, women bear the brunt of droughts. These results also demonstrate how these negative impacts could worsen in the future with the recurrence of intense droughts due to the threat of global climate change. We find that Burkina Faso has room to reduce the negative impacts by adopting drought-tolerant crop varieties, integrated soil management approaches or expanding their irrigation capacity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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31 pages, 4877 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Do Rainfall Shocks Prompt Commercial Input Purchases Amongst Smallholder Farmers in Diverse Regions and Environments in Malawi?

by Clifton Makate and Marshall Makate

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14904; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214904 - 11 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1028

Abstract

The ability of farmers to acquire inputs through purchase from available markets empowers them with the autonomy and capacity to diversify inputs, consequently enhancing the resilience of their cropping activities to various shocks. This paper investigates whether climate shocks, particularly rainfall shocks, influence commercial input purchase decisions by smallholder farmers in contrasting geographic regions in Malawi, with a particular emphasis on fertilizer, agrochemicals, seed, and labor. The empirical approach integrates historical weather information, climate shock perceptions with a longitudinal household survey data set to model commercial input purchasing decisions using appropriate latent variable models. The findings suggest that exposure to recent rainfall shocks, especially droughts, stimulates commercial input purchasing across regions, especially in drier central and southern regions of Malawi. This result holds true for general input purchase decisions and for specific inputs such as agrochemicals, fertilizer, seed, and labor. Although drought shocks considerably increase the probability of acquiring inputs through purchase, they occasionally diminish the intensity of purchases. Both objective and subjective measures of lagged rainfall shocks are revealed as significant determinants of commercial input purchases across regions in Malawi. In addition to regional heterogeneity findings, further analysis shows that the relatively wealthier, male-headed families and those with access to information are more likely to invest in purchased inputs in response to drought shocks. Scaling up policies that remove demand- and supply-side barriers to smallholder farmers’ access to commercial inputs from available markets is necessary for adaptation to rainfall shocks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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17 pages, 2322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Change and Inflation in Eastern and Southern Africa

by Maureen Teresa Odongo, Roseline Nyakerario Misati, Anne Wangari Kamau and Kethi Ngoka Kisingu

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14764; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214764 - 09 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2856

Abstract

This study analyzes the dynamics of key climate change indicators and their implications on food prices in Eastern and Southern African Countries. The study uses descriptive and quantitative analysis of monthly data covering ten countries over the period 2001 to 2020. The descriptive analysis reveals that the sampled countries have experienced various climate change events with increasing intensity in the last two decades. Additionally, three of the countries in the sample ranked in the list of countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2019 are at risk of either frequent events or rare but extraordinary catastrophes. The quantitative analysis showed that supply shocks measured using rainfall amounts and imported food price inflation are the main determinants of food inflation, whereas oil prices, subsidies, and imported inflation are the key determinants of overall inflation. At a macro level, the analysis shows that all countries have various climate change policy initiatives in place but are still vulnerable to climate change risks. This implies a need for sector-specific climate change policy options that are most effective. In addition, the adoption of renewable sources of power such as wind and solar and appropriate irrigation practices is important. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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29 pages, 2341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anthropogenic Land Use Change and Adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Sarah Ephrida Tione, Dorothy Nampanzira, Gloria Nalule, Olivier Kashongwe and Samson Pilanazo Katengeza

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14729; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214729 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1352

Abstract

Compelling evidence in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) shows that Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) has a positive impact on agricultural productivity. However, the uptake of CSA remains low, which is related to anthropogenic, or human-related, decisions about CSA and agricultural land use. This paper assesses households’ decisions to allocate agricultural land to CSA technologies across space and over time. We use the state-contingent theory, mixed methods, and mixed data sources. While agricultural land is increasing, forest land is decreasing across countries in SSA. The results show that household decisions to use CSA and the extent of agricultural land allocation to CSA remain low with a negative trend over time in SSA. Owned land and accessing land through rental markets are positively associated with allocating land to CSA technologies, particularly where land pressure is high. Regarding adaptation, experiencing rainfall shocks is significantly associated with anthropogenic land allocation to CSA technologies. The country policy assessment further supports the need to scale up CSA practices for adaptation, food security, and mitigation. Therefore, scaling up CSA in SSA will require that agriculture-related policies promote land tenure security and land markets while promoting climate-smart farming for food security, adaptation, and mitigation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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19 pages, 3934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Scaling of Climate-Smart Agricultural Technologies and Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria

by Austin Tenthani Phiri, Miriam Charimbu, Sarah Edore Edewor and Elias Gaveta

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14709; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214709 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2550

Abstract

In the wake of climate change, climate-smart agriculture has been proposed as an option for mitigation and adaptation to the attendant harsh impacts among smallholder farmers in Africa. The approach has been promoted for nearly two decades in Kenya, Nigeria, and Malawi, but with low adoption among farmers. This study therefore sought to determine the pathways for sustainable scaling of climate-smart agricultural technologies and practices in the three countries. Secondary and primary data were obtained from desk review, field survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate probit regression. The multivariate probit regression result showed eight negative correlated coefficients between the climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices adopted, thus implying that the practices are substitutes for each other. It was observed that gender had no significant influence on the adoption of a set of practices (refuse retention, minimum tillage, green manure, and mulching) but influenced significantly the adoption of early maturing varieties. Implicitly, therefore, apart from gender, the adoption of climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices might often be due to other factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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19 pages, 305 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Climate Variability, Temporal Migration, and Household Welfare among Agricultural Households in Tanzania

by Martin Julius Chegere and Theresia Livinus Mrosso

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14701; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214701 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1068

Abstract

Climate change has been one of the factors inducing people to migrate internally. As a result of climate change risks, the temporal migration strategy has been employed as an insurance strategy to cope with its impacts. This study analyses whether climate variability is a driving factor for temporal migration among agricultural households and whether such migration shields farmers from agricultural shocks. The study used three waves of the Tanzania National Panel Survey data and employed various descriptive and panel-data econometric techniques in the analyses. Results indicated that climate variability has no effect on overall agricultural production but has a significant effect on maize production, a staple food crop in Tanzania. Moreover, high market value from production was associated with a lower chance that climate variability forced a household member to migrate. In cases where climate change leads to temporal migration, the migrants may shield the household from large welfare losses by bringing back their earned income with new skills. More investments in adaptation to climate change can reduce temporal migration. This will facilitate retaining productive forces, thus boosting the rural economy where agriculture is commonly practiced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

28 pages, 828 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Climate Change on Gender Inequality in the Labour Market: A Case Study of South Africa

by Nicholas Ngepah and Regina Conselho Mwiinga

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13131; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013131 - 13 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1873

Abstract

South Africa has been exposed to climate change and has been experiencing associated extreme climatic events such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. These have impacted water and fuel sources, habitats, human health, and economic productivity. Poorer populations and particularly females are more affected. The main objective of this study is therefore to assess gender inequalities in employment resultant from the effects of climate change and extreme climatic events. The study employs binary, ordered, and multinomial logistic models to analyse the effects on employment, intensity of employment and the effects in economic sectors, respectively. The study computes temperature deviations from its long-run mean as climate change variable and uses the Keetch–Byram Drought Index and number of heatwave days per year as proxies for extreme climatic events. Data for the work are from the South African Weather Services database and the National Income Dynamic Survey. The findings suggest that climate change reduces the probability of being employed more for males than females, but extreme events have more negative effects on female employment than males. We suggest that while climate change mitigations and adaptation measures geared towards the labour market should take priority in general, when extreme climate events occur, labour market support measures should weigh more towards females. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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1 pages, 157 KiB

Open AccessCorrection

Correction: Borgi et al. Environmental Change and Inclusive Finance: Does Governance Quality Matter for African Countries? Sustainability 2023, 15, 3533

by Hela Borgi, Fatma Mabrouk, Jihen Bousrih and Mohamed Mehdi Mekni

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10367; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310367 - 30 Jun 2023

Viewed by 669

Abstract

The authors would like to make the following corrections about the published paper [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Climate Change and Economic Development in Africa)

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