Abstract
Many countries in the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), are battling with fundamental sustainable development challenges such as widespread poverty, hunger, food and nutrition insecurity and limited access to vital social services like education and healthcare. Climate change impacts during the past decades have exacerbated the situation in the region and pushed several policy-makers, researchers and the international community to vigorously search for appropriate development models that can help to effectively fix the problems in a sustainable manner. The concept of circular economy (CE) has received wide recognition as a feasible accelerator of sustainable development in the world. CE is based on three main principles: controlling finite stock of natural resources and regenerating natural systems; closing loops; and designing out waste. Employing a mixed methodological approach, the paper examines the importance and relevance of the CE model to SSA, with particular reference to Ghana. We also used the multiple R or 6R framework (reduce, reuse, refuse, rethink, repair and recycle) to analyse the circularity of six agricultural crops in northern Ghana. The paper assumes that deploying the CE model to Ghana’s agricultural sector will result in high efficiency in the exploitation of natural resources, increase in yields, improved quality of agricultural products, enormous environmental benefits and food and nutrition security. A number of challenges in the application of the model to Ghana’s agricultural sector are identified and appropriate recommendations provided for fixing them.
Highlights
Introduction and BackgroundThe population of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and its environment, agriculture and agricultural value chains are very closely inter-linked
The literature review findings abundantly indicated that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN 2015) were designed to motivate and facilitate the world economies to address major challenges faced by society and the environment (Kapoor et al 2020; Toop et al 2017)
In most SSA countries like Ghana, ample opportunities exist for transition to circular economy (CE)
Summary
Introduction and BackgroundThe population of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and its environment, agriculture and agricultural value chains are very closely inter-linked. The severity of the food and nutrition insecurity problem is obvious because by the year 2050, the world population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion and this will lead to an increase in demand for natural resources and agricultural products (FAO 2017; Wijkman and Skånberg 2016). The problem will get worst because most countries of the world mainly rely on the linear economic model which has been dominating the world economic system since the industrial revolution (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2019). This model does not take into account the fact that the world’s natural resources are finite. Despite improvements in resource efficiency in some SSA countries, the intensification of climate change impacts such as droughts and floods, soil degradation, decrease in arable land and out-migration of the youth from rural areas to urban centres is constraining agricultural productivity and the capacity of most SSA countries like Ghana to produce enough food to feed the surging populations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
