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Abstract
The purpose of this article is to stimulate discussion about the links between malaria pandemic
and crop production, and to broaden our understanding of the effect of malaria in terms of its
economic burden on households and national economic development of endemic economies. It
begins with a theoretical framework, emphasising economic development imperative of
malaria, and the implication for agricultural development. Using propensity score matching,
the likelihood of malaria infection was evaluated in relation to key socioeconomic variables
among infected and uninfected households in agricultural communities of Yobe State.
Similarly, the linear regression provides empirical evidence to suggest that the instrumented
malaria indices significantly reduce crop production among malaria infected households. The
economic loss approach further stresses the economic imperative of the opportunity cost of
labor among malaria infected households. The empirical results suggest targeting farmers with
malaria-specific control and prevention programs in the state.