Title: Mapping urban growth and its impact on agricultural lands in Abeokuta, Nigeria: 1966-2016

Authors: Adewale Mukhtar Olayiwola; Michael Oluwabukunmi Lawal

Addresses: Department of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria ' Department of Geography, Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu-Ijebu, Nigeria

Abstract: This study assessed the impacts of expansion of Abeokuta into some of the neighbouring rural farmlands, identified the trend of expansion of the study area between 1966 and 2016, examined the changes in the land cover types in the study area and assessed the implications of urban expansion on the farmlands in the affected communities. Data for the study were sourced from topographical map and satellite imageries (Landsat TM, 1986; Landsat ETM+, 2006, 2016). Results show that the expansion rate of Abeokuta within a period of 50 years was 0.9 km² per thousand of the population. Therefore, between 1966 and 1986, about 72.6 km² of rural land has been engulfed by the expansion of Abeokuta thereby causing a shortage in the farmland areas. Moreover, urban encroachment into the agricultural land was found to be more pronounced in the North, West and Southwestern parts of Abeokuta. On the whole, the study berated the grievous impacts of urban expansion into rural lands, particularly on food production.

Keywords: unabated expansion; urban land use; rural farmlands; food supply; Abeokuta; Nigeria; urban growth.

DOI: 10.1504/IER.2018.095735

Interdisciplinary Environmental Review, 2018 Vol.19 No.3/4, pp.289 - 305

Received: 12 Apr 2018
Accepted: 04 Aug 2018
Published online: 18 Oct 2018 *

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