Ouagadougou: Student Abdoul Rahmane Ou©draogo received his doctorate from Thomas Sankara University with honors on Wednesday, defending his unique doctoral thesis in economics and management. He conducted his research on the effect of land degradation on agricultural productivity, multidimensional poverty, and the likelihood of household migration in Burkina Faso.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Dr. Ou©draogo’s empirical analysis indicates that land degradation, measured by productivity loss, currently reduces the agricultural productivity of all cereal crops by at least 20%. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that land degradation worsens households’ situation of multidimensional poverty by 44.51 percentage points. Dr. Ou©draogo explained that poverty in this context extends beyond income to include education, health, and overall living standards.
Dr. Ou©draogo emphasized the need for authorities to combat land degradation by implementing sustainable land management practices and rehabilitating degraded land. He believes that such strategies will improve household living standards and reduce multidimensional poverty. Additionally, he found that land degradation increases the likelihood of international household migration, as families resort to economic migration to diversify income sources and mitigate economic shocks.
The results of Dr. Ou©draogo’s research are awaiting publication in scientific journals. He plans to explore new analytical methods using satellite data to further advise policymakers on improving household living conditions. His thesis supervisor, Dr. T. Didier Zoungrana, highlighted the relevance of the research results for decision-making and emphasized the importance of focusing policies on land preservation.
The jury, composed of esteemed academics, recognized the significance of Dr. Ou©draogo’s work and awarded him a doctorate with the highest honors in the field of Economics and Management Sciences, specializing in Development Economics.