Vulnerability of Agricultural Employment and Climate Change in WAEMU Countries

This article examines the effect of climate change on rural agricultural employment in the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), with a panel analysis covering the period from 2000 to 2021. We use Romer's (1986) endogenous growth model, enriched with the Cobb-Douglass model by drawing on the Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy (DICE) model by (Nordhaus, 1992 ; 2013). Rising CO2 emissions, drought and floods are leading to a sharp loss of agricultural jobs, especially in rural areas. However, investments in clean technologies help farmers to adapt and preserve some jobs linked to cash and seasonal crops. These results highlight the importance of proactive policies to support agricultural employment, reconciling economic growth, environmental protection and social welfare in the region.