Title: Spatio-temporal analysis of land use and land cover change in the cocoa belt of Ondo State, Southwestern Nigeria

Authors: Emmanuel Dada; Victoria Tobi Dada

Addresses: Department of Geography and Planning Sciences, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria ' Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract: The study evaluates land use and land cover changes in the cocoa belt of Ondo State being the most suitable belt for cocoa cultivation in Nigeria. Time series of satellite imageries from Landsat-7 ETM+ and Landsat-8 OLI covering year 2000 and 2015 were used. The imageries were classified into six themes of cocoa plantation, settlement, water body, light forest and grassland, forest, and bar surface and rock outcrop. The analyses revealed total land area of 997,714 hectares, cocoa plantations land area increased by 10.3% in 2015 from 2000. Forest land use increased by 6.3% in 2015 from year 2000, water body reduced by 0.1% between 2000 and 2015, settlement land use increased by 3% between 2000 and 2015, light forest and grassland area reduced by 10.4% between 2000 and 2015 and 9.1% reduction in bar surface and rock outcrop land use between 2000 and 2015 respectively.

Keywords: satellite imagery; land use; land cover change; area of land; Nigeria.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAITG.2020.111883

International Journal of Agriculture Innovation, Technology and Globalisation, 2020 Vol.1 No.4, pp.323 - 337

Received: 14 Sep 2018
Accepted: 12 Jun 2019
Published online: 18 Dec 2020 *

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