Environmental Change in Agricultural Land in Southwest Côte d’Ivoire: Driving Forces and Impacts

Abstract

Environmental conditions change in the Southwest of Cote d’Ivoire has been a major issue in development debates over the last decades. Using remote sensing based on land cover change analysis, climatic data, national statistical data, we analyzed the drivers of environmental change in Southwestern of Cote d’Ivoire. Being part of the perennial crops basin, Southwestern of Cote d’Ivoire has witnessed rapid degradation of environmental conditions caused by the conversion of forest areas to agricultural land during the last 20 - 30 years and by a combination of decline in precipitation, soil degradation, a diversity of policies with little concern for the environment and population pressure. We concluded that while climate variability has influenced environmental change in the area of Sassandra, various types of anthropogenic and State interventions in agriculture appear to have been the main underlying causes of environmental degradation.