Open AccessNew Findings on Food Security, Climate Change and Income Growth in West African Countries: P-VAR Approach
Author(s) -
Olabode Philip Olofin
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
european scientific journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1857-7881
pISSN - 1857-7431
DOI - 10.19044/esj.2016.v12n31p241
Subject(s) - endogeneity , food security , climate change , economics , per capita income , agriculture , development economics , per capita , natural resource economics , geography , ecology , econometrics , biology , population , demography , archaeology , sociology
This paper examines empirically the interaction among per capita income growth, climate change and food security in fifteen West African Countries. We employ Panel VAR (PVAR) techniques on annual secondary data obtained from the World Development Indicator (WDI) between 1990 and 2013. The PVAR approach allows us to address the endogeneity problem by allowing the endogenous interaction among the variables in the system. Our results provide evidence of income growth spurring food security in the short run and reducing it in the long run, while climate change increased food insecurity throughout in West Africa. The study suggests that climate change is a necessary variable that needs to be controlled if food security is a desired goal in West Africa and that more priority should be given to agricultural sector in economic growth. Also, the leaders in West Africa should embrace a judicious and dynamic energy mix that will allow renewable sources to replace fossil fuels.