Turning up the heat: Extreme heat and labor implications in West Africa

We examine the impact of extreme heat on household labor allocation in Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria using earth observation and microdata from Ghana. We find that extreme heat affects household labor in distinct ways with significant cross-country heterogeneities. In Nigeria, extreme heat reduces labor use at the extensive margin but increases labor use at the intensive margin. Notably, child labor rises while adult labor declines at the extensive margin. In Mali, extreme heat leads to an overall increase in household labor, particularly among women and children, whereas Ghana shows minimal impact except for reduced child labor. Both Mali and Nigeria experience decreases in hired labor, animal traction, and associated labor costs under extreme heat exposure. These patterns could be explained by farmers’ adaptive strategies: extreme heat triggers the build-up of pests, weeds, and diseases, which could induce farmers to use more pesticides and engage in manual weeding, which are labor-demanding. Moreover, households rely on climate-resistant crop varieties and cropland expansion, which may require additional labor. These findings underscore the importance of context-specific adaptation strategies and the nuanced effects of extreme heat on rural labor markets in West Africa. • Extreme heat impacts household labor differently across Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. • Hired labor, animal traction, and related labor costs decline in Mali and Nigeria under extreme heat conditions. • Extreme heat leads to increased pesticide use and climate-resilient crop varieties. • Cropland expansion in response to extreme heat. • Context matters.