Effect of the Energy Transition on Food Security: The Role of the Female Agricultural Workforce in WAEMU Countries
Keywords:
Energy transition, female agricultural labour, Food security, WAEMU, ARDL
Abstract
This study analyses the role of women in the relationship between the energy transition and food security in the 8 WAEMU countries (1996-2022). The use of an ARDL model shows that the energy transition significantly and symmetrically improves food security in the short term, but has a negative and asymmetric effect in the long term. The interaction between the energy transition and the female agricultural workforce has a positive effect in the long term, but is neutral in the short term. We recommend maximising short-term benefits and actively involving women in agriculture to improve long-term food security.
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References
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2. Aliaga, M. A., & Chaves-Dos-Santos, S. M. (2014). Food and nutrition security public initiatives from a human and socioeconomic development perspective: Mapping experiences within the 1996 World Food Summit signatories. Social Science & Medicine, 104, 74–79.
3. Altieri, M. A. (2009). Agroecology, small farms, and food sovereignty. Monthly Review.
4. Ansar, A., Flyvbjerg, B., Budzier, A., & Lunn, D. (2014). Should we build more large dams? The actual costs of hydropower megaproject development. Energy Policy, 69, 43–56.
5. Arellano, M., & Bond, S. (1991). Some tests of specification for panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and an application to employment equations. The Review of Economic Studies, 58(2), 277–297.
6. Arellano, M., & Bover, O. (1995). Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models. Journal of Econometrics, 68(1), 29–51.
7. Blundell, R., & Bond, S. (1998). Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models. Journal of Econometrics, 87(1), 115–143.
8. Breusch, T. S., & Pagan, A. R. (1980). The Lagrange multiplier test and its applications to model specification in econometrics. The Review of Economic Studies, 47(1), 239–253.
9. Clancy, J., Skutsch, M., & Batchelor, S. (2011). Gender equity in access to and benefits from modern energy and improved energy technologies. World Development Report Background Paper.
10. Clapp, J., & Fuchs, D. (2009). Agrifood corporations, global governance, and sustainability: A framework for analysis. In Corporate power in global agrifood governance.
11. Cornwall, A. (2016). Women’s empowerment: What works? Journal of International Development, 28(3), 342–359.
12. Crenshaw, K. (2019). ‘Difference’ through intersectionality. In Dalit feminist theory (pp. 139–149). Routledge India.
13. De Moraes Sá, J. C., Lal, R., Cerri, C. C., Lorenz, K., Hungria, M., & de Faccio Carvalho, P. C. (2017). Low-carbon agriculture in South America to mitigate global climate change and advance food security. Environment International, 98, 102–112.
14. Doss, C. R. (2018). Women and agricultural productivity: Reframing the issues. Development Policy Review, 36(1), 35–50.
15. Ericksen, P. J. (2008). Conceptualizing food systems for global environmental change research. Global Environmental Change.
16. Evans, G., & Phelan, L. (2016). Transition to a post-carbon society: Linking environmental justice and just transition discourses. Energy Policy, 99, 329–339.
17. FAO, FIDA, OMS, PAM, & UNICEF. (2023). L’état de la sécurité alimentaire et de la nutrition dans le monde 2023. FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc6550fr
18. FAO. (2017). The future of food and agriculture: Trends and challenges. FAO.
19. FAO. (2020). La situation mondiale de l’alimentation et de l’agriculture 2020 : Relever le défi de l’eau dans l’agriculture. FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb1447fr
20. FAO. (2021). Politique de la FAO sur l’égalité des sexes 2020–2030. FAO.
21. Fetanat, A., Tayebi, M., & Mofid, H. (2021). Water–energy–food security nexus based selection of energy recovery from wastewater treatment technologies. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 43.
22. Folbre, N. (2021). La Revue internationale du Travail et l’égalité entre hommes et femmes. Revue internationale du Travail, 160(4), 30–39.
23. Galgóczi, B. (2020). Just transition on the ground. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 26(4), 367–382.
24. Grainger, R. (2016). Fisheries and aquaculture. In Routledge handbook of food and nutrition security (pp. 153–168).
25. Heffron, R. J. (2021). Achieving a just transition to a low-carbon economy. Palgrave Macmillan.
26. Hlahla, S. (2022). Gender perspectives of the water, energy, land, and food security nexus in sub-Saharan Africa. Frontiers in sustainable food systems, 6.1-13.
27. Ingram, J. (2011). A food systems approach to researching food security. Food Security.Kao, C. (1999). Spurious regression and residual-based tests for cointegration in panel data. Journal of Econometrics, 90(1), 1–44.
28. Kim, J. E. (2019). Sustainable energy transition in developing countries. Climate Policy, 19(1), 1–16.
29. Kline, Keith L.; Msangi, Siwa; Dale, Virginiah; Woods, Jeremy; Souza, Glaucia M.; et al. 2017. Reconciling food security and bioenergy: Priorities for action. GCB Bioenergy 9 (3): 557-576. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12366
30. Malapit, H. J., Meinzen-Dick, R. S., Quisumbing, A. R., & Zseleczky, L. (2020). Women: Transforming food systems for empowerment and equity.
31. McMichael, C. (2020). Human mobility, climate change, and health. The Lancet Planetary Health, 4(6), 217–218.
32. Menyah, K., Nazlioglu, S., & Wolde-Rufael, Y. (2014). Financial development, trade openness and economic growth in Africa. Economic Modelling, 37, 386–394.
33. Mol, A.P.J. and Spaargaren, G. (2000) Ecological Modernisation Theory in Debate: A Review. Environmental Politics, 9, 17-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644010008414511
34. Najm, S., & Matsumoto, K. (2020). Does renewable energy substitute LNG trade? Energy Economics, 92.
35. O'Neill, D.W., Fanning, A.L., Lamb, W.F., and Steinberger, J.K. (2018). A good life for all within planetary boundaries. Nature Sustainability 1, 88-95. doi:10.1038/s41893-018-0021-4
36. Patel, R. (2009). Food sovereignty. The Journal of Peasant Studies.
37. Pedroni, P. (2004). Panel cointegration. Econometric Theory, 20(3), 597–625.
38. Pedroni, P. (1999). Critical Values for Cointegration Tests in Heterogeneous Panels with Multiple Regressors. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 61, 653-670.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0084.61.s1.14
39. Pesaran, M. H. (2004). General diagnostic tests for cross-section dependence. CESifo Working Paper No. 1233.
40. Pesaran, M. H. (2007). A simple panel unit root test. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 22(2), 265–312.
41. Pesaran, M. H., Shin, Y., & Smith, R. J. (2001). Bounds testing approaches. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 16(3), 289–326.
42. PNUD. (2014). Stratégie du PNUD pour la promotion de l’égalité des sexes. PNUD.
43. Roodman, D. (2009). How to do xtabond2. The Stata Journal, 9(1), 86–136.
44. Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford University Press.
45. Sertyesilisik, B. (2023). Women empowerment as a key to support achievement of the sustainable development goals and global sustainable development. In Gender Inequality and its Implications on Education and Health: A Global Perspective. 153-163.
46. Tilman, D., Socolow, R., Foley, J. A., Hill, J., Larson, E., Lynd, L., Pacala, S., Reilly, J., Searchinger, T., Somerville, C., & Williams, R. (2009). Énergie. Biocarburants bénéfiques : le trilemme alimentaire, énergétique et environnemental. Science (New York, N.Y.), 325(5938), 270–271. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1177970
47. Women, U. N. (2021). Empowering women at work: government laws and policies for gender equality.
https://policycommons.net/artifacts/1469225/empowering-women-at-work/2120184/
48. Wheeler, T., & von Braun, J. (2013). Climate change impacts on global food security. Science, 341(6145), 508–513.
49. Zakari, S., et al. (2022). Adaptation strategies to climate change. Sustainability, 14(5).
50. Zhuang, D., et al. (2022). Land-use and food security in energy transition. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
Published
2025-12-31
How to Cite
Kamalan, A. E., Kadjo, A. P., & Kouame, K. R. (2025). Effect of the Energy Transition on Food Security: The Role of the Female Agricultural Workforce in WAEMU Countries. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 21(34), 186. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2025.v21n34p186
Section
ESJ Social Sciences
Copyright (c) 2025 Angbonon Eugene Kamalan, Assande Pierre Kadjo, Kouakou Romaric Kouame
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
