Empirical Investigation of climate change on agriculture in the CEMAC region

Abstract

The central part of Africa falls within the equatorial regions in the world and highly depends on
agriculture for their livelihood. This research tries to investigate the impact of climate change on the
agriculture production of both cash crops and food crops which contributes greatly to the economics of
this community. The research will incorporate the scientific relation between climate change and
agricultural production, the socio-economic and political impact of the current agricultural situation in
this part of the world. The method of this study will include field analysis and statistic parameter of data
interpretation. This research will help to enhance human awareness on current food crises and
economic quagmire that has greatly affect the world at large and cemac region in particular. The
research will serve a catalyst in policy making regarding climate change.

Problematic: Food crises.

Literature review

The agricultural sector is a biological indicative parameter to proof that climate change is serving as a
major hindrance to sustainable development in central Africa. Since some 4.6 billion years ago, the
climatic conditions have evolved from paleo climatic conditions though the Ice age to present situation
which is catastrophic. These changes affect the environment differently assuming that planet earth is a
closed system. However, there has been a natural system in place which has always sought to strike
some environmental balance based through natural processes. Human activities has alters the rate at
which the climatic conditions has change through time. In the late of the 18th century (1733), England
and other parts of Europe witness industrial revolution which then spread to other parts in of the world.
During this period, most engines depended on renewable source of energy which was water and animal
power. The first machine was for the transformation of agricultural product (cotton). The invention of
the steam engines also saw the need for fossil fuels as the source of energy. The byproduct of all the
steam engines is CO2. There was rapid increased in human population as explain by Reverent Malthus in
his classical theory of population growth in 1766. He proposed that agricultural production in the nearby
future was not going to meet the growing population. This theory acted as a catalyst to speed up
industrial revolution in the world and consequently, more CO2 emission.

The CO2 and other greenhouses gases where released both by natural processes and industrial
processes. These accumulations in the atmosphere eventually gave birth to the term global warming.
Actually, the concept of global warming has been proved by many theories with the major effect of
global temperature rise. Today the situation has given birth to global climate change. Global climate
change has affected every sector the human society but however, the most vulnerable is the agriculture
which is directly linked to the environment and the economics of central Africa. The socio economic and
political structures have been drastically affected since the central Africa population is largely primary
sector of production which is agriculture is this case.