Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-02T19:29:16.177Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Effects of the Structural Adjustment Program on Deforestation in Ghana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

J.K.A. Benhin  and
E.B. Barbier
J.K.A. Benhin
Affiliation:
Environment Department, University of York
E.B. Barbier
Affiliation:
Natural Resource and Environmental Economics with the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of Wyoming
Get access

Abstract

This paper is a theoretical and empirical investigation into the impact of the structural adjustment program (SAP) on forest loss in Ghana between the period 1965–95. An optimal control model is used to derive estimable reduced form equations for forest loss, cocoa land, maize land and timber production, which are in turn functions of mainly input and output prices. Piecewise linear and switching regression approaches are used to distinguish between the influence of the post from the pre-adjustment policy impacts on forest land use. The overall results show that cocoa land expansion and timber production, but not maize land expansion, are significant causes of forest loss in Ghana. However, the impact on forest loss in the post-adjustment period was reduced. Changes in the relative output and input prices due to the SAP may have played a significant role in the reduced impact of agricultural and timber related deforestation in the post-adjustment period.

Type
Articles
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , April 2001 , pp. 66 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amelung, T. and Diehl, M. 1992. “Deforestation of Tropical Rainforests: Economic Causes and Impact on Development.” Kieler Studien 241. Tubingen: J.C.B. Mohr.Google Scholar
Barbier, E.B. 1994. “The Environmental Effect of the Forestry Sector.” The Environmental Effects of Trade. Paris: Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).Google Scholar
Barbier, E.B. and Burgess, J.C. 1997. “The Economics of Tropical Forest Land Use Options.” Land Economics 73(2): 174–95.Google Scholar
Barbier, E.B., Burgess, J.C., Alyward, B.A., and Bishop, J.T. 1994. The Economics of the Tropical Timber Trade. London: Earthscan.Google Scholar
Bateman, M.J., et al. 1989. An Analytical Review of Ghana's Cocoa Pricing Policy with Recommendations for Future Policy Formulation. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.Google Scholar
Benhin, J.K.A. and Barbier, E.B. 1999. A Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Structural Adjustment on Agriculture and on Forest Cover in Cameroon and in Ghana. Final report for the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). York: University of York.Google Scholar
Brown, K. and Pearce, D. (eds.) 1994. The Causes of Tropical Deforestation. London: University College London Press.Google Scholar
Capistrano, A.D. 1994. “Tropical Forest Depletion and the Changing Macroeconomy.” The Causes of Tropical Deforestation. Brown, K. and Pearce, D.W., Eds. London: University College London Press.Google Scholar
Chachu, R. 1989. “Allowable Cut from the Forest.” Ghana Forest Inventory Project Seminary Proceedings. Wong, J., Ed. Accra: Ghana Forestry Department and ODA. 29–30 March.Google Scholar
Cropper, M. and Griffiths, C. 1994. “The Interaction of Population Growth and Environmental Quality.” American Economic Review 84(2): 250–254.Google Scholar
Deacon, R.T. 1995. “Assessing the Relationship between Government Policy and Deforestation.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 28: 1–8.Google Scholar
Ehui, E.K. and Hertel, T.W. 1989. “Deforestation and Agricultural Productivity in the Côte d'Ivoire.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 71 (3): 701–11.Google Scholar
FAO. 1993. “Forest Resources Assessment 1990: Tropical Countries.” FAO Forestry Paper 112. Rome: FAO.Google Scholar
FAO. 1997. State of the World's Forests 1997. Rome: FAO.Google Scholar
Gujarati, D.N. 1995. Basic Econometrics. (3d ed). New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Google Scholar
Hawthorne, W.D. 1989. “The Flora and Vegetation of Ghana's Forests.” Ghana Forest Inventory Project Seminar Proceedings. Wong, J., Ed. Accra: Ghana Forestry Department and ODA. 29–30 March 1989.Google Scholar
ISSER. 1992. The State of the Ghanaian Economy in 1991. Legon: ISSER, University of Ghana.Google Scholar
ISSER. 1997. The State of the Ghanaian Economy in 1996. Legon: ISSER, University of Ghana.Google Scholar
ITTO. 1993. Study of Incentives for the Sustainable Management of the Tropical High Forest of Ghana. A report prepared by IIED and the Forestry Department of Ghana for the ITTO. (Unpublished).Google Scholar
Kaimowitz, D. and Angelsen, A. 1998. A Users Guide to Economic Models of Deforestation. Draft. Bogor: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).Google Scholar
Khan, M.S. 1987. “Macroeconomic Adjustment in Developing Countries: A Policy Perspective.” The World Bank Observer 2(1): 23–12.Google Scholar
López, R. 1995. Environmental Externalities in Traditional Agriculture and the Impact of Trade Liberalization: The Case of Ghana. Maryland: College Park, University of Maryland. (Unpublished).Google Scholar
Martin, C. 1991. The Rainforests of West Africa. Accra: Elseiver Publishers.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture. 1991. Agriculture in Ghana: Facts and Figures. Accra: Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department (PPMED), Ministry of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Munasinghe, M. 1999. “Special Topic 1: Structural Adjustment Policies and the Environment: Introduction.” Environment and Development Economics 4(1): 9–18.Google Scholar
Nash, S. (ed.) 1990. Project: Green, Final Report. Cambridge University.Google Scholar
Pindyck, R.S. and Rubinfeld, D.L. 1991. Econometric Models and Economic Forecasts. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.Google Scholar
Repetto, R. 1988. The Forests for the Trees? Government Policies and the Misuse of Forest Resources. Washington, D.C.: World Resources Institute.Google Scholar
Reis, E.J. and Margulis, S. 1991. “Options for Slowing Amazon Jungle Clearing.” Global Warming: Economic Policy Responses. Dornbusch, R., and Porterba, J.M., Eds. Cambridge: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Richards, M. 1995. Role of Demand Side Incentives in Fine Grained Protection: A Case Study of Ghana's Tropical High Forests. London: ODA.Google Scholar
Rudel, T. and Roper, J. 1997. “The Paths to Rain Forest Destruction: Crossnational Patterns of Tropical Deforestation, 1975–90.” World Development 25(1): 53–65.Google Scholar
Southgate, D., Sierra, R. and Brown, L. 1991. “The Causes of Tropical Deforestation in Ecuador: A Statistical Analysis.” World Development 19(9): 1145–1151.Google Scholar
Stryker, J.D., et al. 1990. “Trade, Exchange Rate, and Agricultural Pricing Policies in Ghana.” World Bank Comparative Studies. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.Google Scholar
Sun, C. 1995. Tropical Deforestation and the Economics of Timber Concession Design. Doctoral Dissertation Proposal. Urbana: Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Google Scholar