By Benson, Adeyinka G; Ehisienmhen, Nicholas O; Adewale, Eunice T; Animasahun-Oladimeji, R; Aribilola, Toba R; Afiz, Razaq A; Okeke, Amaka I; John, Oluwasegun

A; Isa, I; Imran, Badrat O; Dirisu, Kelvin D; Omisore, Omotoye O (2023).

Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences

ISSN: 2276-7770
Vol. 13(4), pp. 274-283, 2023
Copyright ©2023, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
https://gjournals.org/GJAS

Effect of Urbanization on Agricultural Farm

Land in Akure South Local Government
Area, Ondo State.

Benson, Adeyinka G.1; Ehisienmhen, Nicholas O.*1;

Adewale, Eunice T.1; Animasahun-Oladimeji, R.1;
Aribilola, Toba R.1; Afiz, Razaq A.1; Okeke, Amaka I.1;
John, Oluwasegun A.1; Isa I.1; Imran, Badrat O.1; Dirisu,
Kelvin D.1; Omisore, Omotoye O.1

*1Cooperative Information Network, National Space Research and Development Agency,

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article No.: 102723124 This study assessed the impact of Urbanization on Agricultural farm land in
Type: Research Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State. The data collected were
Full Text: PDF, PHP, HTML, EPUB, MP3 populated figures and land use for three Epochs (2002, 2012 and 2022). The
satellite images were downloaded from the Google Earth. In the analysis,
cross change detection analysis and overlay analysis using ArcGIS 10.8
was performed to detect where land use change has occurred and which
Accepted: 29/10/2023 type of land use agricultural land has transformed too. The GIS analysis
Published: 07/11/2023 revealed that there is an increase in settlement and a decrease in
Agricultural land from 2002 – 2022. Results reveal that urbanization has
*Corresponding Author significant effects on Agricultural land in the study area and these effects
Ehisienmhen, Nicholas O include, decreasing agricultural land, decreasing in faring activities,
E-mail: bensongrace242@ decreasing in farm size. All this is as results of increasing settlement and
gmail.com, unclenick2020@ built up area. If the growth in the population of Akure South LGA continues,
yahoo.com unchecked, agricultural land will be significantly depleted in the future. The
study recommendation that there should be effective.
Law and policy to control population growth sustainably to
Keywords: Urbanization,
minimize the negative impact of urbanization in the study area. Also urban
Agricultural Farm Land, Food
agriculture should be encouraged to sustain the food supply, to prevent
Scarcity and Effect.
food scarcity and secure food for future consumption.

Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 274-283, 2023
 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences 275

INTRODUCTION changes can be predicted by studying past trends and

projecting future developments.
Urbanization is the process of people The incessant migration of rural populace to
concentrating in cities, driven by natural population urban areas has imposed a serious concern globally,
growth, rural-urban migration, and reclassification of especially in developing countries like Nigeria due to
rural areas. This urban growth is influenced by push its accompanying food security threat. Therefore,
factors like rural poverty and pull factors such as city there is a need to map and evaluate the effect of
allure. In many developing regions, rural-urban urbanization on agricultural land used in relation to
migration is exacerbated by limited agricultural land farming challenges periodically in order to be well-
and food insecurity. informed policy statements in tackling food security.
Nigeria faces food security challenges due to This study evaluates the effect of urbanization on
low agricultural productivity, exacerbated by issues agricultural land use in relationship to (SDGs) goal no
like herdsmen menace and insecurity in rural 2. This study will help to carry out trends, what have
settlements. The global concern over producing happen over the years to agricultural land, from 1990
enough food for a growing population has persisted to 2020, with the view of analysing the effect of
for generations. Food insecurity elimination is a urbanization on the sustainability of agricultural land.
significant focus of the Sustainable Development The antecedent impact on the physical development
Goals, addressing pressing needs in developing constitutes a major concern. Although there have
countries. been studies on the rapid urbanization and urban
Enhancing agriculture is vital to empower sprawl of cities in the developing countries and in
smallholders and alleviate poverty. Land use and Nigeria, Globally, approaches for providing
degradation play a central role in agricultural sustainable food security for smallholder households
productivity discussions. Food, as a fundamental have increasingly gained priority in agriculture
human need, necessitates addressing land planning and policy. In addressing food insecurity,
degradation, which is a pressing issue in developing governments and relevant stakeholders continue to
nations Abah. and Petja, (2015). Maintaining healthy formulate and implement various agricultural and
land ecosystems is crucial for global food security and development planning policies aimed at improving
population growth. food security, agriculture productivity, land use
Sustainable development, as emphasized by sustainability, and agribusiness markets Akinluyi et al.,
the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), aims to (2020).Despite these interventions, higher
meet current and future generations' needs while concentrations of food insecurity and socioeconomic
ensuring profitability, environmental health, and social deprivation have been recorded in LMICs, especially
equity. Sustainability is the foundation of agricultural among poor smallholder farmers. Collier et al. (2009)
development, as per McKenzie et al. (2015). He observes that human needs transform the land to
Food security is a universal human right, different activities and that the quantifiable information
ensuring everyone's access to adequate food. of these dominant activities is necessary to develop
Achieving this goal is paramount, as per the FAO. To future planning. Urban changes can be modelled
address the challenges of urbanization, population through the observation of the past and projection to
growth, and agriculture, a holistic approach is the future.
essential, emphasizing sustainability and food
security.
The rural-to-urban migration, a global concern, Aim
particularly in developing nations like Nigeria, poses a
significant threat to food security. Regular The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of
assessments of the impact of urbanization on urbanization on s agricultural land in Akure South
agricultural land use are essential for informed policy Local Government, Ondo State.
decisions. This study focuses on urbanization's effect
on agricultural land use in relation to Sustainable Objectives
Development Goal (SDG) 2. It analyzes trends in
agricultural land from 1990 to 2020 to gauge The specific objectives are to:
urbanization's impact on land sustainability. • Determine the change in the land classes in the
Urban expansion significantly affects physical study area between 2002 sand 2022.
development, with numerous studies on this issue • Assess the of urbanization growth on agricultural
globally, particularly in developing countries like
land in the study area.
Nigeria. Efforts to enhance food security, agricultural
productivity, land sustainability, and agribusiness • Show how population in the study area has grown
markets are prioritized by governments and between 2002 and 2022
stakeholders, but challenges persist, especially for
smallholder farmers facing food insecurity and
socioeconomic hardships Owolabi, (2018). Study Area
To plan for the future, understanding how
human needs transform land use is crucial. Urban The area of study is Akure South Local
Government Area of Ondo State. It is located
betwee gitude d d
276 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences

L titude 7 9 N d7 N It h s re Akure South is about 250 metres above sea level.

of about 325.5 Square Kilometer, with a population of The major occupation in the area is agriculture,
353,211 at the Ajomale (2007). Akure is a medium- rearing of animals and trading is a common economic
sized urban Centre and became the provincial activity among the women.
headquarter of Ondo State. It is located within the
tropical rain forest region of Nigeria. The land mass of

Figure 1: Study area map

METHODOLOGY The 2002, 2012 and 2023 images of the study

area were classified respectively into four classes
Data Collection and Preparation such as; Built- up, Vegetation, Farmland and Rock
outcrop. The land use/ land cover classes data were
This research used both primary and secondary data. imported into Microsoft Excel software, where bar
The primary data were gotten from the Google earth charts were generated to show the land use/ land
pro software and the population data was acquired cover in hectares and comparative changes between
from the State National Population Commission. 2002 and 2022.
The Landsat imageries for three decade with The layer of the built-up extracted from the
the interval of ten years were downloaded, 2002, 2012 and 2022 images respectively were
respectively, obtained from USGS Website. 2002, overlaid to show the extent of the population increase
2012 and 2022. The different Landsat bands were in the study area. Farmland of the 2002, 2012 and
combined to bands in Arc Map to form a false colour 2022 respectively, were carved out from the classified
composite image. In Erdas imagine, pixels image of the study area and overlaid with the built-up
representing vegetation, built-up, area rock outcrop, layer to show the area covered by agricultural land in
water body and farmland were identified and selected 2002 2012 and 2022 areas that have been
from the image as training sample. Their signature encroached by built-up.
files were also generated and saved. The farmland data was further imported into
Microsoft Excel software, bar chart was generated to
Data Analysis show the farmland decrease in hectare between 2002
and 2022.
The population data was imported into Microsoft
Excel software, Bar chart was generated to show the
population growth between 2002 and 2022
 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences 277

Figure 2: Research work flow diagram.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Results
Population
800
The Population Data Analysis
700
Table 1: Showing the population and the growth
rate of the study area. 600

Akure-South Population & Growth rate 500

400
Year Population Growth rate
300
2002 335 1.75 200
2012 526 2.75 100

2022 717 3.76 0

2002 2012 2022
The bar charts showing the population and growth Figure 3: shows the population growths of the
rate of the study area between 2002 and 2022. study area from 2002 to 2022.
278 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Figure 4: showing the growth rate of the study area from 2002 to 2022.

Image Classification Results

The classification images showed the land use land cover map of the study area from 2002 to 2022.

Figure 5: Land Use Land Cover Map of Akure South LGA in 2002
 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences 279

Figure 6: Land Cover Classes and their Respective Area Cover in percentage in 2002

Figure 7: Land Use Land Cover Map of Akure South LGA in 2012.
280 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Figure 8: Land Cover Classes and their Respective Area Cover in percentage in 2012.

Figure 9: Land Use Land Cover Map of Akure South LGA in 2022.
 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences 281

Figure 10: Land Cover Classes and their Respective Area Cover in percentage in 2022.

Figure 11: the comparatives changes in land cover classes between 2002 and 2022.

DISCUSSION Figure 4: above shows the land use land

cover classified image of the year 2002. From the
Table 1 above shows the steady increment in the classified image of the year 2002, the percentage of
population growth of the Akure South LGA from 2002 the agricultural land is 36%, while the built-up area
to 2022. Year 2002 has the lowest population while was 6%, the forest area covers 55% and the bare
2022 has the highest population growth, Figure 3 land was 3% respectively. While figure 5 shows the
showing the population growth rate of the study area, land classes in the year, while figure 6 shows the
in the year 2002 the growth rate was 335% at 1.75 percentages they occupies in the change analysis, it
while in the year 2022 the growth was 717% at 3.76 shows that the forest has the highest percentage.
rates. Combined with the population data respectively Hence the area is slightly dominated by built up area.
in other to show the population increase in the study Figure 7 above shows the land use land over
area, in 2002 built up has the population of 1868.99, of the year 2012. While figure 8 shows the
2012 built up has population of 3577.2 and 2022 has percentages. In the year 2012, the Agricultural land
the population of 9198.9 respectively. The increase in decrease from 36% to 24, while the built up area was
population is an evidence of urbanization in the study increased from 6% to 11%. On the other hand the
area bare land also experienced little increment from 3% to
282 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences

5%. The forest area also experienced increment from headmen which also affect the production of their
61% in the year 2002 to 38% in the year 2012. Hence farm produce.
there is urbanization.
Figure 9 above shows the land use land cover
classified image of the year 2022. The built up CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
increased massively due to encroachment in to the
forested land area. While the figure 10 shows the Conclusion
percentages changes. Built up covers 28%,
Agricultural land 29%, forest land 38% and bare land In conclusion, the results and discussions presented
5%. in Chapter Four shed light on the significant changes
Figure 11 above shows the comparative that have occurred in the Akure South Local
changes in the land use land cover classes in Government Area (LGA) from 2002 to 2022. These
hectares from 2002 and 2022. The bar chart revealed changes are primarily driven by population growth
that the agricultural land cover in the study area and urbanization, which have had profound impacts
decrease from 2002 to 2022, this is due to the advent on land use and land cover in the study area.
of urbanization in the study area as some forested The population analysis revealed a steady
and agricultural land has been turned to either increase in population from 2002 to 2022, with the
settlement or recreation centres. The figure 4.10 also year 2022 witnessing the highest population growth.
revealed that the built up area kept increasing from This population growth is indicative of urbanization
2002 to 2022, this has been attributed to increase in taking place in the region. The growth rate increased
population over the study area which as a result led to from 335% in 2002 to 717% in 2022, reflecting the
urbanization. rapid pace of urbanization.
Filani, (2011) said agricultural is the life wire The land use and land cover analysis
of many human being, thus; the major operation of provided valuable insights into the changing
people of Akure South LGA has been identified to be landscape of Akure South LGA. In 2002, the dominant
agriculture. The area covered by land kept decreasing land cover was forest (55%), while agricultural land
from 2002 to 2012 until 2022 while it has lost to covered 36%. However, by 2022, the built-up area
162658 to hectares of land to majorly built up as a had significantly expanded, covering 28% of the land,
result of increase in population in the study area. The indicating the encroachment of urban areas into
area covered by forest decrease rapidly from 2012 to previously forested and agricultural regions. This shift
2022 respectively. highlights the urbanization process and its
consequences for land use (Fenta,. et al (2017).
Impacts of Urban Growth The comparative analysis between 2002 and
2022 showed a decrease in agricultural land and a
The analysis above has confirmed the advent of substantial increase in built-up areas. This
urbanization and how it has affected other land cover transformation can be attributed to the effects of
types, but here, the study is focusing on the impacts urbanization, including land conversion for settlement
of the urbanization on the Agricultural land. and recreational purposes. Furthermore, the study
As result of declination in the loss of revealed that the area covered by forests decreased
agricultural farm land, the study orally interviewed rapidly from 2012 to 2022, indicating a loss of
some farmers to ask for the possible reasons why valuable natural resources.
such drastically declination might have occurred. The The impacts of urban growth on agricultural
following are their reasons; land were also examined, with farmers reporting
significant challenges. Urbanization was identified as
1 Over 90% of the farmers claimed that a major problem leading to the conversion of farmland
urbanization has been one of their major into settlement areas, forcing farmers to seek new
problems as their farmland has been land for cultivation. Additionally, the allure of white-
converted to settlement, thereby causing collar jobs in the city and the desire for quick money
them to look for another farmland. among the younger generation has contributed to a
2 The farmers also lamented that with the decline in agricultural activities. Conflicts with Fulani
advent of crude oil in Nigeria, some of the herdsmen further exacerbated the challenges faced
farmers disengage agricultural activity for by farmers in the region.
white cola jobs in the city. More also their In summary, the results and discussions in
chi dre d t see f rmi g s me f this chapter illustrate the transformation of Akure
survival anymore because they need quick South LGA over the past two decades. The region
money which make them to abandoned has experienced rapid urbanization, resulting in
farming and go for minor business in town changes in land use and land cover, and significant
that will bring them easy money. challenges for the agricultural sector. These findings
3 Furthermore, the farmers also explain that underscore the importance of sustainable urban
with the problem of Fulani headsmen. planning and the need for policies that balance urban
development with the preservation of agricultural land
Encroaching into their farmer always results and natural resources. The implications of
into crisis between the farmers and the Fulani urbanization on agriculture and the livelihoods of
farmers in the region call for targeted interventions to
 Benson et al / Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences 283

address these challenges and ensure the long-term

well-being of the local population. These recommendations aim to strike a balance
between urban development and the preservation
Recommendation of agriculture and natural resources while
improving the well-being of the local population in
The recommendations aim to address the challenges Akure South LGA.
arising from rapid urbanization and shifting land use in
Akure South Local Government Area (LGA) between
2002 and 2022:
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Cite this Article: Benson, AG; Ehisienmhen, NO; Adewale, ET; Animasahun-Oladimeji, R; Aribilola, TR; Afiz, RA;
Okeke, AI; John, OA; Isa, I; Imran, BO; Dirisu, KD; Omisore, OO (2023). Host resistance to ticks: a potential
complementary and sustainable alternative to ticks and tick-borne disease control. Greener Journal of Agricultural
Sciences, 13(4): 274-283.