Impact of the West African Ebola Epidemic on Agricultural Production and Rural Welfare: Evidence from Liberia

35 Pages Posted: 5 Aug 2019

See all articles by Alejandro de la Fuente

Alejandro de la Fuente

World Bank - Poverty and Equity Global Practice

Hanan G. Jacoby

World Bank - Agriculture and Rural Development Department; World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

Kotchikpa Gabriel Lawin

Independent

Date Written: June 11, 2019

Abstract

The 2014-15 Ebola epidemic took a devastating human and economic toll on three West African countries, of which Liberia was perhaps the hardest hit. The pathways through which the crisis affected economic activity in these largely agrarian societies remain poorly understood. To study these mechanisms in the context of rural Liberia, this paper links a geographically disaggregated indicator of Ebola disease mortality to nationally representative household survey data on agricultural production and consumption. The paper finds that higher Ebola prevalence (as proxied by local mortality) led to greater disruption of group labor mobilization for planting and harvest, thereby reducing rice area planted as well as rice yields. Household welfare, measured by per capita expenditures spanning two points before and after the crisis, fell by more in Ebola prevalent areas with more intensive rice farming, precisely those areas that were more adversely affected by agricultural labor shortages.

Suggested Citation

de la Fuente, Alejandro and Jacoby, Hanan G. and Lawin, Kotchikpa Gabriel, Impact of the West African Ebola Epidemic on Agricultural Production and Rural Welfare: Evidence from Liberia (June 11, 2019). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8880, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3430488

Alejandro De la Fuente (Contact Author)

World Bank - Poverty and Equity Global Practice ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Hanan G. Jacoby

World Bank - Agriculture and Rural Development Department ( email )

1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
United States

HOME PAGE: http://econ.worldbank.org/staff/hjacoby

World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

1818 H. Street, N.W.
MSN3-311
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Kotchikpa Gabriel Lawin

Independent ( email )

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