Has Population Growth Improved the Quality of Land in Africa?

1. Has Population Growth Improved the Quality of Land in Africa? Analysis of the impact of increasing population density on African land profiles ECON 0428: Population Growth and Global Future Kaitllynn Saldanha Maurits Pot

2. Major Issues • Population density • Increasing agronomic Investment • Role of technological Innovation • Flexibility of Institutions • Boserup Thesis

3. Boserup Theory • The role of rising population density • The role of agriculture intensification • Intensification technologies that increase output allowing food production to keep pace with population growth. • Technology, innovation, and investment in human capital offset the effects of population growth. • Emphasizes the superior role of local inhabitants over foreigners. - Government investment at national and family farm levels.

4. The Benefit of Population Growth according to the Boserup Theory: The effect of rising population densities and subsequent effects of agriculture intensification

5. The Role of Government • Population density and intensification alone do not explain land recovery in the face of population growth. • Advantages of population growth can only be realized with government investment. -National investment  infrastructure, education, R&D -Family farm investment  saving, incentives, circulation of information.

6. Machakos Case Study • Evidence for the Boserup hypothesis. • Study Premise: increasing population density is the source of agricultural growth in low potential dryland areas as well as high potential areas. • Illustrated the role of investment, population density, innovation and human capital improvements. • The rise of institutions to serve as management organs • The prevalence of cheaper interaction costs spurs farm innovation. • Critique to Machakos and conflicting evidence.

7. The Role of Institutions • Divergent opinions on the role of institutions in the population-environment nexus. -Malthusian Perspective  neglects institutions -Boserup Theory  institutional change prompts technological change -Institutional adaptation related to factor endowment of a country -Inappropriate institutions leading to land degradation. • The positive role of informal institutions Informal Institutions: customs, norms and networks as the most immediate mechanism mediating the relationship between population growth and the environment. • Burkino Faso Study

8. Conclusions • Despite a negative perception of the effect of population growth on the quality of lands, the Machakos and Burkina Faso Studies suggest that an optimistic perspective exists. • Rising population densities and intensification that population growth enables, allow for the opportunity for improved land quality. • Rather than a single trend explaining the relationship between population growth and the environment however, myriad relationships exist. • The affect of population growth on the quality of lands is dependent on investment by local governments and farmers as well as the adaptation of informal institutions. • The relationship between population growth and the environment is ultimately determined by how (and how quickly) communities adjust to population growth vis a vis external and internal factors.