IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ehl/lserod/113547.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

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

Author

Listed:
  • Jellason, Nugun P.
  • Robinson, Elizabeth J.Z.
  • Chapman, Abbie S.A.
  • Neina, Dora
  • Devenish, Adam J.M.
  • Po, June Y.T.
  • Adolph, Barbara

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Jellason, Nugun P. & Robinson, Elizabeth J.Z. & Chapman, Abbie S.A. & Neina, Dora & Devenish, Adam J.M. & Po, June Y.T. & Adolph, Barbara, 2021. "A systematic review of drivers and constraints on agricultural expansion in Sub‐Saharan Africa," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113547, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:113547
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/113547/
    File Function: Open access version.
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kubitza, Christoph & Krishna, Vijesh V. & Urban, Kira & Alamsyah, Zulkifli & Qaim, Matin, 2018. "Land Property Rights, Agricultural Intensification, and Deforestation in Indonesia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 312-321.
    2. Henders, Sabine & Ostwald, Madelene, 2014. "Accounting methods for international land-related leakage and distant deforestation drivers," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 21-28.
    3. Bezu, Sosina & Holden, Stein, 2014. "Are Rural Youth in Ethiopia Abandoning Agriculture?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 259-272.
    4. Tim Newbold & Lawrence N. Hudson & Samantha L. L. Hill & Sara Contu & Igor Lysenko & Rebecca A. Senior & Luca Börger & Dominic J. Bennett & Argyrios Choimes & Ben Collen & Julie Day & Adriana De Palma, 2015. "Global effects of land use on local terrestrial biodiversity," Nature, Nature, vol. 520(7545), pages 45-50, April.
    5. Chamberlin, Jordan & Jayne, T.S. & Headey, D., 2014. "Scarcity amidst abundance? Reassessing the potential for cropland expansion in Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 51-65.
    6. Angelsen, Arild, 1999. "Agricultural expansion and deforestation: modelling the impact of population, market forces and property rights," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1), pages 185-218, February.
    7. Arild Angelsen, 1996. "Deforestation: Population or market driven? Different approaches in modelling agricultural expansion," CMI Working Papers WP 1996:9, CMI (Chr. Michelsen Institute), Bergen, Norway.
    8. Reed, James & van Vianen, Josh & Foli, Samson & Clendenning, Jessica & Yang, Kevin & MacDonald, Margaret & Petrokofsky, Gillian & Padoch, Christine & Sunderland, Terry, 2017. "Trees for life: The ecosystem service contribution of trees to food production and livelihoods in the tropics," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 62-71.
    9. Gezahegn Weldu Woldemariam & Anteneh Derribew Iguala & Solomon Tekalign & Ramireddy Uttama Reddy, 2018. "Spatial Modeling of Soil Erosion Risk and Its Implication for Conservation Planning: the Case of the Gobele Watershed, East Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-25, February.
    10. Ceddia, Michele Graziano & Zepharovich, Elena, 2017. "Jevons paradox and the loss of natural habitat in the Argentinean Chaco: The impact of the indigenous communities’ land titling and the Forest Law in the province of Salta," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 608-617.
    11. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    12. Angelsen, Arild & Shitindi, Eric F. Katemansimba & Aarrestad, Jostein, 1999. "Why do farmers expand their land into forests? Theories and evidence from Tanzania," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(3), pages 313-331, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Paul Zyambo & Felix K. Kalaba & Vincent R. Nyirenda & Jacob Mwitwa, 2022. "Conceptualising Drivers of Illegal Hunting by Local Hunters Living in or Adjacent to African Protected Areas: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Qingqian He & Qing Meng & William Flatley & Yaqian He, 2022. "Examining the Effects of Agricultural Aid on Forests in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Causal Analysis Based on Remotely Sensed Data of Sierra Leone," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, April.
    3. Adam J. M. Devenish & Petra Schmitter & Nugun. P. Jellason & Nafeesa Esmail & Nur M. Abdi & Selase K. Adanu & Barbara Adolph & Maha Al-Zu’bi & Amali A. Amali & Jennie Barron & Abbie S. A. Chapman & Al, 2023. "One Hundred Priority Questions for the Development of Sustainable Food Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, October.
    4. Barbara Adolph & Nugun P. Jellason & Jane Musole Kwenye & Jo Davies & Anne Giger Dray & Patrick O. Waeber & Katy Jeary & Phil Franks, 2023. "Exploring Farmers’ Decisions on Agricultural Intensification and Cropland Expansion in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Zambia through Serious Gaming," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, February.
    5. Dora Neina & Eunice Agyarko-Mintah, 2022. "Duration of Cultivation Has Varied Impacts on Soil Charge Properties in Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Ghana," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Yeboah, Samuel, 2023. "Unlocking the Potential of Technological Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries: Enhancing Resource Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability," MPRA Paper 118215, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 26 Jul 2023.
    7. Dora Neina & Eunice Agyarko-Mintah, 2023. "Differential Impacts of Cropland Expansion on Soil Biological Indicators in Two Ecological Zones," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-14, May.
    8. Yeboah, Samuel, 2023. "Unlocking the Potential of Technological Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture in Developing Countries: Enhancing Resource Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability," MPRA Paper 118216, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 04 Aug 2023.
    9. Dora Neina & Barbara Adolph, 2022. "Sulphur Contents in Arable Soils from Four Agro-Ecological Zones of Ghana," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jaza Folefack, Achille Jean & Ngo Njiki, Marie Gaelle & Darr, Dietrich, 2019. "Safeguarding forests from smallholder oil palm expansion by more intensive production? The case of Ngwei forest (Cameroon)," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 45-61.
    2. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2019. "How Do Social Preferences and Norms of Reciprocity affect Generalized and Particularized Trust?," CLTS Working Papers 8/19, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 10 Oct 2019.
    3. Jayne, T.S. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Traub, Lulama & Sitko, N. & Muyanga, Milu & Yeboah, Kwame & Nkonde, Chewe & Anseeuw, Ward & Chapoto, A. & Kachule, Richard, 2015. "Africa’s Changing Farmland Ownership: Causes and Consequences," Miscellaneous Publications 208576, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    4. Stein T Holden & Mesfin Tilahun, 2021. "Preferences, trust, and performance in youth business groups," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-28, September.
    5. Abman, Ryan & Carney, Conor, 2020. "Land rights, agricultural productivity, and deforestation," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    6. Jayne, Thomas S. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Traub, Lulama & Sitko, N. & Muyanga, Milu & Yeboah, Felix & Nkonde, Chewe & Anseeuw, Ward & Chapoto, Anthony & Kachule, Richard, 2015. "Africa's Changing Farmland Ownership: The Rise of the Emergent Investor Farmer," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212028, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Conor Carney & Ryan Abman, 2018. "Land rights, agricultural productivity, and deforestation in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 88, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Bustanul Arifin, 2010. "Global Sustainability Regulation and Coffee Supply Chains in Lampung Province, Indonesia," Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), vol. 7(2), pages 67-89, December.
    9. Yeboah, F. Kwame & Jayne, T.S., 2016. "Africa’s Evolving Employment Structure," Food Security International Development Working Papers 246956, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    10. Ryan Abman & Conor Carney, 2018. "Land rights, agricultural productivity, and deforestation in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-88, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2018. "Land rental as a complementary income source for land-poor youth," CLTS Working Papers 6/18, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Centre for Land Tenure Studies, revised 16 Oct 2019.
    12. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2021. "Are land-poor youth accessing rented land? Evidence from northern Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    13. Ngoma, Hambulo & Angelsen, Arild, 2017. "Can conservation agriculture save tropical forests? The case of minimum tillage in Zambia," Working Paper Series 02-2017, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, School of Economics and Business.
    14. Sibhatu, Kibrom T. & Qaim, Matin, 2018. "Review: Meta-analysis of the association between production diversity, diets, and nutrition in smallholder farm households," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-18.
    15. Namaalwa, Justine & Sankhayan, Prem L. & Hofstad, Ole, 2007. "A dynamic bio-economic model for analyzing deforestation and degradation: An application to woodlands in Uganda," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(5), pages 479-495, January.
    16. Ngoma, Hambulo & Angelsen, Arild, 2018. "Can conservation agriculture save tropical forests? The case of minimum tillage in Zambia," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 153-162.
    17. Robalino, Juan & Herrera, Luis Diego, 2010. "Trade and deforestation: A literature review," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2010-04, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    18. Ntawuruhunga, Donatien & Ngowi, Edwin Estomii & Mangi, Halima Omari & Salanga, Raymond John & Shikuku, Kelvin Mashisia, 2023. "Climate-smart agroforestry systems and practices: A systematic review of what works, what doesn't work, and why," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    19. Cepic, Michael & Bechtold, Ulrike & Wilfing, Harald, 2022. "Modelling human influences on biodiversity at a global scale–A human ecology perspective," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 465(C).
    20. Kondo, Takumi & Osanami, Fumio & Barmon, Basanta Kumar & Yamaguchi, Junichi, 2010. "Rice-prawn Farming System: Impacts on Soil Quality and Land Productivity of Modern Variety Paddy Production in Bangladesh," Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), vol. 7(2), pages 1-18, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    agricultural expansion; conservation; constraints; drivers; Sub‐Saharan Africa; APC funding;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:113547. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: LSERO Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.