Climate Change, Agricultural Output and Policies in Senegal

Abstract

The Senegalese agricultural sector shows low production level over the last decades. . This study assesses the impact of climate change on crop production and also tests policies instruments through a national static computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. Our main results show that the local impacts of climate change (through declining yields) are likely to affect Senegal beyond the agricultural sector and farmers. The results show also after testing different policies instruments in the worst climate scenario for Senegal that decreasing the rice import tariff by 20% and subsidizing fertilizers are the most suitable policies instrument that can help to mitigate the negative effects that climate change has on agricultural food markets in Senegal. A global action plan to evaluate and improve policy instruments can mitigate the negative effects of climate change, enhance the overall resilience of the farming system and strengthen the capacity of local markets to absorb shocks.