Impact of the West African Ebola Epidemic on Agricultural Production and Rural Welfare : Evidence from Liberia
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 societie...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/423511560254844269/Impact-of-the-West-African-Ebola-Epidemic-on-Agricultural-Production-and-Rural-Welfare-Evidence-from-Liberia http://hdl.handle.net/10986/31870 |
| Summary: | 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. |
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