The importance of decarbonizing policy for the sustainability of food production in West Africa

Abstract

The West African sub-region is currently experiencing global warming at levels faster than the world’s average. The urgency of addressing the impacts of climate change, coupled with amplifying food crisis in West African countries, necessitates the study’s focus. Hence, the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on food production in West Africa is examined through Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) Estimation and Panel Causality Test between 1990 and 2022. Findings reflect that climate change resulting from rising CO2 is associated with reduced food production, exacerbating increased food shortages. Specifically, estimated outcomes show that a 1% increase in CO2 could result in reduced food production by 17% at the 1% significance level, underscoring that rising CO2 is a threat to sustainable food production in West African countries. By implication, an increase in the rate of extreme weather events induced by CO2 would likely affect food systems negatively, escalating food insecurity challenges across the sub-region. It is emphasized that West Africa’s climate-induced hunger worsened by weather-sensitive food production systems. With increasing incident of climate extremes, the capacity to increase food production has declined, making countries become more food insecure. The causal connection between CO2 emissions and food production is further confirmed by the study, as bidirectional interplay between them is empirically verified and established. It is suggested that climate mitigation and adaptation plans need to be supported in food-sensitive ways, and climate-sensitive agricultural practices should be developed and enhanced.