Towards sustainable crop production in Somalia: Examining the role of environmental pollution and degradation

Abstract

Climate change poses a severe threat to the agriculture sector of low-income economies. To mitigate the influence of the intensifying deforestation and climate change on the environment and the livelihoods of many societies, it is crucial to illustrate the association between environmental pollution, degradation, and crop production. Somalia is facing massive deforestation. The key drivers of land degradation in Somalia are the dependence on traditional biomass energy—charcoal and firewood—, and unsustainable agriculture cultivation methods. In this regard, this study assesses the role of CO2 emissions, agriculture methane emissions, and environmental degradation on crop production in Somalia from 1990 to 2018. The long-run Cointegration and causality of the variables were assessed using an ARDL bound test and Granger causality, respectively. The study found strong empirical evidence that CO2 and agricultural methane emissions enhance crop production in the long run in Somalia. On the contrary, environmental degradation has a long-run adverse impact on crop productivity. The long-run results of the study are robust for various econometric methods. Besides, bidirectional causality between CO2 emissions and agricultural output, and Agricultural methane emissions and crop production were established. Nevertheless, the study suggests policy reforms and investments in agriculture research, agricultural input markets, seed and fertilizers systems, and policies that enhance farmers’ and pastoralists’ awareness of environmental quality.