Impact of cropland development intensity and expansion on natural vegetation in different African countries

Abstract The world's rapid population growth is also fueling the high demand for food. Cropland intensification and expansion as the primary source of increasing food production thrives everywhere, yet hinders natural vegetation. This study aims to examine the extent to which the development of Cropland intensity affects natural vegetation and scrutinizes its relationship with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the African continent from 1992 to 2015. The ratio of total Crop area harvested and Cropland extent (CE) datasets used to compute the cropping intensity CI (yr−1) for each year over 24 years. The correlation coefficient and comparison method were applied for cropland intensity and natural vegetation to reveal the rate at which cropland intensity affects natural vegetation. The same method was applied between CI, CE and GDP percentage from Agriculture to know their relationship. The results revealed that Cropland extended at a rate of about 9130.17 km2 yr−1, leading to a rise of 219,123.99 km2 of increase. Shrubland was the most devastated natural vegetation at a rate of −9461.96 km2 and cleared about 227,087.1 km2. The CI and GDP percentage from agriculture showed a strong negative correlation in most of the countries, especially in developing countries. The CI is low and the CE is high, which means the degradation of existing natural vegetation and the eradication of potential environment health. Ethiopia and Tanzania have been the only two countries which experienced cropland decrease among the top 10 African countries with a large cropland area, while Nigeria and Sudan have increased the most. Further Malawi witnessed the highest percentage growth for cropland. South Sudan has identified strong trends in GDP percent from agriculture, while Libya has seen substantial decline. On the other hand, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, and Chad identified to have the biggest % of agriculture to GDP during the study period.