@article{Shittu:332439,
      recid = {332439},
      author = {Shittu, Adebayo M. and Odine, Agatha I.},
      title = {Agricultural Productivity Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa,  1990-2010: the role of Investment, Governance and Trade},
      address = {2014},
      pages = {35},
      year = {2014},
      note = {Presented at the 17th Annual Conference on Global Economic  Analysis, Dakar, Senegal},
      abstract = {The 2013 Human Development Report recommends the need to  strengthen regional integration and South– South  cooperation as part of measures to harness the wealth of  knowledge, expertise, and development thinking in the South  towards achieving more robust growth and development of the  developing countries. Past experiences of many African  countries with globalization and trade, however suggest the  need for caution and that actions need to be much more  informed. Against this background, this study examined the  role of international trade and economic integration as  well as quality of governance and public/private investment  in explaining the wide differences in agricultural  productivity growth performance among countries in SSA  between 1990 and 2010. The study was based on a panel data  on 42 countries in SSA over the period 1990 – 2010. The  study was undertaken within the combined framework of  neo-classical and endogenous growth theories. Agricultural  Labor Productivity (ALP), measured as agricultural  value-added per economically active person in agriculture,  as well as Malmquist index of agricultural Total Factor  Productivity (ATFP) generated by Data Envelopment Analysis,  were subjected to neo-classical convergence tests, with  influence of various factors on productivity growth  assessed within the framework of panel data econometrics in  which influences of country specific unobserved  heterogeneity were controlled. The study evidences support  the need for substantial capital deepening and increase  public expenditure to enhance access to infrastructure,  strengthen agricultural institutions and support domestic  food production as key measures needed to significantly  raise agricultural productivity in SSA. In addition, the  study identified increased integration into African  economies that are yet to be part of any regional economic  integration group as well as with the Multilateral Free  Trade area between Australia and New Zealand as those with  significant and positive impacts on ALP and TFP in SSA  respectively. The study thus recommend, support for the  ongoing efforts by the African Union (AU) to harmonize  policies of various regional economic groups in Africa into  forming an African Economic Community with unified trade  policies among member state is the right direction to move  Africa forward. It also recommends the need for each  country to adopt measures appropriate protect the domestic  agriculture against unduly stiff competition from better  supported and sometimes subsidized agricultural products  from the more developed nations as short-medium term policy  measures to enhance the ongoing recovery from past  neglects.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/332439},
}