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Soil degradation and economic development in Ghana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2001

KNUT H. ALFSEN ,
TORSTEIN BYE ,
SOLVEIG GLOMSRØD  and
HENRIK WIIG
KNUT H. ALFSEN
Affiliation:
Research Department, Statistics Norway, PO Box 8131 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway
TORSTEIN BYE
Affiliation:
Research Department, Statistics Norway, PO Box 8131 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway
SOLVEIG GLOMSRØD
Affiliation:
Research Department, Statistics Norway, PO Box 8131 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway
HENRIK WIIG
Affiliation:
Research Department, Statistics Norway, PO Box 8131 Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway
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Abstract

Soil erosion and soil mining are important environmental problems in many developing countries and may represent a considerable drag on economic development. The cost of soil degradation depends, however, not only on the productivity effects it has on agricultural growth, but also on how the agricultural sectors are linked to the rest of the economy. This article describes an integrated economy–soil-productivity model for Ghana, and through several simulated scenarios we calculate the drag on the Ghanaian economy of soil mining and erosion, and illustrate the effects of different policies aiming at a reduction in these environmental problems.

Type
Theory and Applications
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , May 1997 , pp. 119 - 143
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

This study has been partially funded by the Environment Department of The World Bank, which, however, is in no way responsible for the results and opinions offered here. We are grateful for comments from two referees.