Global Extent of Land Degradation and Its Human Dimension - Principles of Sustainable Soil Management in Agroecosystems - page 212

discuss this interesting pattern below and focus on western Africa, where there is
high poverty and the NDVI has increased.
Of interest is the change in government effectiveness in West and Central Africa.
Table 9.2 shows that in 10 of the 16 countries where the NDVI increased, government
effectiveness increased. In two countries (Equatorial Guinea and Guinea), where
government effectiveness decreased, agricultural area as share of total land area
decreased, and accordingly its contribution to GDP decreased. This suggests reduced
dependency of the population on agriculture—especially in Equatorial Guinea
where the GDP almost doubled and the contribution of agriculture to GDP fell by
94%. The dramatic growth was due to the oil boom in the country (Frynas 2004).
The reduced agricultural area and its contribution to GDP could have contributed to

TABLE 9.2
Change of Government Effectiveness, GDP, and Agricultural Area in West
and Central African Countries Where NDVI Increased

Change of
Agricultural
Area

Change of
Contribution
of ag to GDP

Government
Effectiveness

Agric. Expenditure
as % of Total
Allocated
Government Budget b

GDP

Change
(Δgovt) a Percent Change (%)

Benin 0.3 117.8 65 -2.4 6.0

Burkina Faso 0.0 111.0 22 16.6 19.2

Cameroon 0.3 61.0 1 -23.1 4.0

Central African
Republic

0.001 28.4 5 37.1 3.1

Congo -0.3 54.3 0 -32.9 1.0

Equatorial
Guinea

-0.4 825.2 -4 -94.4 NA

Gabon 0.001 47.1 0 -13.3 NA

Gambia -0.2 88.1 8 -28.1 5.0

Ghana 0.2 121.1 23 -31.0 8.7

Guinea -0.2 83.8 -1 -0.8 13.7

Guinea Bissau 0.4 19.3 14 21.8 1.4

Liberia -0.3 59.3 0 NA 5.1

Nigeria 0.1 95.5 7 NA 3.6

Senegal 0.4 93.7 -1 -22.7 12.1

Sierra Leone -1.0 21.9 29 32.7 2.8

Togo 0.6 49.7 13 19.7 4.7

Note: NA = data not available in the baseline or end line period.
a Government effectiveness ranges from -2.5 (very weak) to 2.5 (very strong).
b Average of 2003-2009.