American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics

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The Nexus Between Environmental Quality and Agricultural Sector Performance: Evidence from Cameroon

Received: Dec. 23, 2019    Accepted: Jan. 10, 2020    Published: Apr. 21, 2020
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Abstract

There is the growing belief that uncontrolled agricultural activities greatly reduce the quality of the environment wherein they are carried out, and in turn, this environmental degradation negatively affects agricultural sector performance as a whole. It is on the strength of this assertion that this paper examines the relationships between environmental quality (carbon dioxide emission) and agricultural sector performance (ASP) in Cameroon using the Vector Autoregressive modelling approach. Specifically, the paper attempts to determine whether environmental quality affects ASP or there is a reverse causation. Using time series data obtained from the 2018 version of the World Development Indicators from 1981 to 2016, the study reveals a negative and significant effect of the first lag of ASP on its current value while the first lag of environmental quality equally has a negative and significant influence on its current value in Cameroon over the study period. Further, there is a negative and significant effect of ASP on environmental degradation. The granger causality test shows that there is a bidirectional relationship between environmental quality and ASP in Cameroon. Finally agricultural labour negatively and significantly affects environmental degradation in Cameroon. From the findings of this study, it is recommended that the government should put in place policies that will promote agricultural produce transformation as well as preservation strategies. Also, farmers should practice farm fragmentation so as to reduce the chances of all the crops ripening at the same time. Afforestation policies should be fully implemented and agricultural development, extension and value chain strategies should be put in place. Restrictions and sanctions should be placed on initiators of bush fire and poor farming practices such as shifting cultivation and bush fallowing methods should be discouraged in favour of intensive farming through sensitization by agricultural extension services.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11
Published in American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics ( Volume 5, Issue 2, June 2020 )
Page(s) 21-30
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Environmental Quality, Agricultural Sector Performance, Vector Autoregressive Model, Cameroon

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Kifem Frankline Lifolav, Tachang Pius Ayekeh, Yakum Ivan Mbaombogoh. (2020). The Nexus Between Environmental Quality and Agricultural Sector Performance: Evidence from Cameroon. American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics, 5(2), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11

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    ACS Style

    Kifem Frankline Lifolav; Tachang Pius Ayekeh; Yakum Ivan Mbaombogoh. The Nexus Between Environmental Quality and Agricultural Sector Performance: Evidence from Cameroon. Am. J. Environ. Resour. Econ. 2020, 5(2), 21-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11

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    AMA Style

    Kifem Frankline Lifolav, Tachang Pius Ayekeh, Yakum Ivan Mbaombogoh. The Nexus Between Environmental Quality and Agricultural Sector Performance: Evidence from Cameroon. Am J Environ Resour Econ. 2020;5(2):21-30. doi: 10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11,
      author = {Kifem Frankline Lifolav and Tachang Pius Ayekeh and Yakum Ivan Mbaombogoh},
      title = {The Nexus Between Environmental Quality and Agricultural Sector Performance: Evidence from Cameroon},
      journal = {American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics},
      volume = {5},
      number = {2},
      pages = {21-30},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajere.20200502.11},
      abstract = {There is the growing belief that uncontrolled agricultural activities greatly reduce the quality of the environment wherein they are carried out, and in turn, this environmental degradation negatively affects agricultural sector performance as a whole. It is on the strength of this assertion that this paper examines the relationships between environmental quality (carbon dioxide emission) and agricultural sector performance (ASP) in Cameroon using the Vector Autoregressive modelling approach. Specifically, the paper attempts to determine whether environmental quality affects ASP or there is a reverse causation. Using time series data obtained from the 2018 version of the World Development Indicators from 1981 to 2016, the study reveals a negative and significant effect of the first lag of ASP on its current value while the first lag of environmental quality equally has a negative and significant influence on its current value in Cameroon over the study period. Further, there is a negative and significant effect of ASP on environmental degradation. The granger causality test shows that there is a bidirectional relationship between environmental quality and ASP in Cameroon. Finally agricultural labour negatively and significantly affects environmental degradation in Cameroon. From the findings of this study, it is recommended that the government should put in place policies that will promote agricultural produce transformation as well as preservation strategies. Also, farmers should practice farm fragmentation so as to reduce the chances of all the crops ripening at the same time. Afforestation policies should be fully implemented and agricultural development, extension and value chain strategies should be put in place. Restrictions and sanctions should be placed on initiators of bush fire and poor farming practices such as shifting cultivation and bush fallowing methods should be discouraged in favour of intensive farming through sensitization by agricultural extension services.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - The Nexus Between Environmental Quality and Agricultural Sector Performance: Evidence from Cameroon
    AU  - Kifem Frankline Lifolav
    AU  - Tachang Pius Ayekeh
    AU  - Yakum Ivan Mbaombogoh
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    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11
    T2  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
    JF  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
    JO  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
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    EP  - 30
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2578-787X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20200502.11
    AB  - There is the growing belief that uncontrolled agricultural activities greatly reduce the quality of the environment wherein they are carried out, and in turn, this environmental degradation negatively affects agricultural sector performance as a whole. It is on the strength of this assertion that this paper examines the relationships between environmental quality (carbon dioxide emission) and agricultural sector performance (ASP) in Cameroon using the Vector Autoregressive modelling approach. Specifically, the paper attempts to determine whether environmental quality affects ASP or there is a reverse causation. Using time series data obtained from the 2018 version of the World Development Indicators from 1981 to 2016, the study reveals a negative and significant effect of the first lag of ASP on its current value while the first lag of environmental quality equally has a negative and significant influence on its current value in Cameroon over the study period. Further, there is a negative and significant effect of ASP on environmental degradation. The granger causality test shows that there is a bidirectional relationship between environmental quality and ASP in Cameroon. Finally agricultural labour negatively and significantly affects environmental degradation in Cameroon. From the findings of this study, it is recommended that the government should put in place policies that will promote agricultural produce transformation as well as preservation strategies. Also, farmers should practice farm fragmentation so as to reduce the chances of all the crops ripening at the same time. Afforestation policies should be fully implemented and agricultural development, extension and value chain strategies should be put in place. Restrictions and sanctions should be placed on initiators of bush fire and poor farming practices such as shifting cultivation and bush fallowing methods should be discouraged in favour of intensive farming through sensitization by agricultural extension services.
    VL  - 5
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Higher Institute of Commerce and Management, The University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon; Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, The University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon

  • Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, The University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon

  • Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, Higher Institute of Commerce and Management, The University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon; Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, The University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon

  • Section