The Impact of Early Marriage and Low Level of Education on Agricultural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

AbstractThe Growth Enhancement Scheme and e-voucher program, rolled out across Nigeria in 2011 by the federal government, provided the institutional basis for private agro-dealers to engage in the distribution of subsidized fertilizer, improved seeds and extension services to farmers. However, the impact of this policy on different modes of extension service delivery is still missing in literature. We apply an Ordinary Least Squared and Difference-in-Difference methodology on the (2010 and 2012) Living Standard Measurement Study of the World Bank. The results suggest that extension visitations as well as public extension services positively influence farm revenue. Furthermore, a substantial increase in fertilizer expenditure by farmers was observed, due to the e-voucher program, which could have contributed to the improved agricultural output witnessed in Nigeria post-Growth Enhancement Scheme era. Governments across Sub-Saharan Africa should implement policies that harness the economy of scale and scope of the private sector as well as information and communication technologies in delivering on time and adequate agricultural inputs to farmers.

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African agriculture in the context of COVID-19: Finding salvation in the devil

African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics ◽

10.53936/afjare.2020.15(4).19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 302-310

Author(s):

Guy Blaise Nkamleu ◽

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Development ◽

Agricultural Sector ◽

Food System ◽

Free Trade Area ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

African Countries ◽

Agriculture Sector ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

The world is facing unprecedented challenges from COVID-19, which is disrupting lives and livelihoods. The pandemic could profoundly affect the African continent and wipe out hard-won development gains, as sub-Saharan Africa heads into its first recession in 25 years. Beyond the multispatial impact of the coronavirus in Africa, its effects on the agriculture and food system is of particular interest, as food security could be the most affected area and, at the same time, agriculture could be the sector that could help African economies recover quicker from the impact of COVID19. This paper supports the view that COVID-19, as devilish as it may be, offers an opportunity to revive interest in the agricultural sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed immense pressures on African countries to raise additional resources, and consequently Africa’s growing public debt is again coming back to the centre stage of the global debate. The conversation on African debt sustainability has begun to dominate the scene and will flood the debate in the near term. While the observed, growing calls for debt relief for African countries are legitimate, we support in this paper that one should not divert attention from the long-term solutions needed to strengthen Africa’s resilience. These long-term solutions lie where they always have: in agriculture. With COVID-19, shipping agricultural inputs and food products from other continents to Africa has become disrupted and is accelerating the trend towards shortening supply chains. This will leave a potential market for inputs and food produced on the continent. COVID-19, together with the launching of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), have aligned the stars in favour of a decisive transformation of the agriculture sector on the continent. Agriculturalists and development experts need to be aware of their responsibility at this time, as they need to advocate for the topic of agricultural development to return to the centre and the heart of the agenda of discussions on how to respond to the consequences of Covid-19 in Africa. In this sense, and unexpectedly, COVID-19 is an opportunity for the agricultural sector.

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Evaluating the impact of agricultural extension programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and prospects

African Evaluation Journal ◽

10.4102/aej.v1i1.19 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Hailemichael Taye

Keyword(s):

Impact Evaluation ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Agricultural Research ◽

Evaluation Studies ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Agricultural Extension ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Validity And Reliability ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), impact evaluation has been used to assess whether agricultural extension interventions have brought the intended result or to establish causal linkages between interventions and outcomes. However, there is some scepticism about the validity and reliability of the results of the impact evaluation reports due to some contradictory and exaggerated results.Objectives: This article analyses some impact evaluation studies conducted in SSA as to why contradictions and exaggerations are manifested in some reports and what would be the future prospects of impact evaluation of agricultural extension programmes in the region.Methods: Impact evaluation reports and results of agricultural extension programmes from 10 SSA countries were reviewed and analysed based on impact evaluation principles and theories.Results: The results show that most of the evaluations reported positive impacts. There are also conflicting reports on extension performance. The fact that the overwhelming majority of impact evaluation reports claim positive extension impacts is not in line with the reports on agricultural productivity growth in the region. There are various reasons for over estimated impacts and contradictory results, which include use of poor impact evaluation methodologies, lack of reliable data and insufficient capacity to conduct rigorous impact evaluations.Conclusion: Due to these challenges and the shift in agricultural research and extension approaches, it is recommended that rather than investing effort in trying to prove impact, greater attention should be given to improving impact as well as using other innovative monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and learning tools that consider the dynamic nature of agricultural development.

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On the impact of early marriage on schooling outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa and South West Asia

International Journal of Educational Development ◽

10.1016/j.ijedudev.2015.06.001 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 42-55 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Marcos Delprato ◽

Kwame Akyeampong ◽

Ricardo Sabates ◽

Jimena Hernandez-Fernandez

Keyword(s):

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Early Marriage ◽

South West ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact ◽

Schooling Outcomes

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Financial sustainability of a public-private partnership for an agricultural development project in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agricultural Economics (Zemědělská ekonomika) ◽

10.17221/161/2017-agricecon ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 64 (No. 9) ◽

pp. 389-398 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Morea Donato ◽

Balzarini Marino

Keyword(s):

Value Chain ◽

Security Policy ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Financial Analysis ◽

Public Private Partnership ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Private Partnership ◽

Know How ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

Land, water, sun, infrastructure, capital and know-how are needed for any agricultural development. Sub-Saharan Africa has immense natural resources, though often not immediately available altogether in the same place, but is generally short of the other inputs. That is why a public-private partnership can be an effective approach to deal the projects with modern agricultural development: public partner provides land, most of the infrastructure and finance; private partners provide the intensive farming practice, processing know-how and part of the equity. Financial analysis of lower and higher capital demanding scenarios and testing of the impact of changes in the critical drivers of costs and revenues shown that a combination of staple crops and cash crops can be found to balance national food security policy targets and financial appeal for private partners in a mutually satisfactory venture capital. The effect of environmental and infrastructural constraints was also considered, showing how likely-to-happen threats on the side of the implementation of the project may turn into challenging opportunity to climb the agribusiness value chain upward.

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Conflicts in Biafra, Katanga and Cabinda as a result of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism

OOO Zhurnal Voprosy Istorii ◽

10.31166/voprosyistorii202010statyi60 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 (10-3) ◽

pp. 238-246

Author(s):

Olga Dzhenchakova

Keyword(s):

Democratic Republic ◽

Economic Factor ◽

Colonial Period ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Post Colonial ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Republic ◽

The Impact

The article considers the impact of the colonial past of some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and its effect on their development during the post-colonial period. The negative consequences of the geopolitical legacy of colonialism are shown on the example of three countries: Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Angola, expressed in the emergence of conflicts in these countries based on ethno-cultural, religious and socio-economic contradictions. At the same time, the focus is made on the economic factor and the consequences of the consumer policy of the former metropolises pursuing their mercantile interests were mixed.

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The Impact of HIV on Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence of Spatial Externalities

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2257696 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Enrico Lovasz

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Spatial Externalities ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

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The Impact of the TRIPS Agreement on the Access to Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2669097 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Joaquim Campoy Rubio

Keyword(s):

Antiretroviral Therapy ◽

Trips Agreement ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

The Impact

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Population - an element of agricultural development in Serbia

Stanovnistvo ◽

10.2298/stnv9904141t ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 37 (1-4) ◽

pp. 141-161

Author(s):

Marina Todorovic ◽

Gordana Vojkovic

Keyword(s):

Agricultural Production ◽

Regional Differences ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Historical Review ◽

Working Population ◽

Theoretical Level ◽

Level Of Education ◽

Agricultural Producer ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

The author begins by discussing the relationship between agriculture and population at a theoretical level, proceeds with a historical review of changes in the role and significance of an individual as agricultural producer, and finally, analyzes population as an element (potentials - limitations) of agricultural development in Serbia. The overall production results, and particularly the propensity to technical and technological innovation, as well as the ability to adapt to the changed conditions are, as we know well, crucially dependent on the structure of the working population. Hence, the author discusses regional differences in agricultural population by age, sex, level of education and productivity to provide a clear illustration of the impact of this element (indicator) on the population as the factor of agricultural production. The results show significant macroregional differences by this element with respect to the average for Serbia.

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