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EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION ON AGRICULTURAL LANDUSE IN AJAOKUTA, KOGI STATE

SHILOBA ABRAHAM

Department of Geography and Environmental Studies

Prince Abubakar Audu University Anyigba.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of industrialization on agricultural landuse in Ajaokuta, Kogi State. The objectives of the study were to; examine the significant changes in Agricultural land use in Ajaokuta, identify the factors responsible for the change in the agriculture land use in Ajaokuta, evaluate the possible implications of this change on the livelihood pattern of the Residents, and examine the adaptation strategies for farmers to cope with change in Agricultural land. The study adopted descriptive survey approach where simple random sampling technique was used to administer 365 copies of questionnaire to respondents. Findings show that the study area has drastically changed from basically agrarian community in the year 2001 to a more built up area with pronounced bare surfaces hereby reducing agricultural land to 91.905km² from 725.013 km² of the land use in year 2001. Also, the major factors responsible for changes in agricultural are rapid population growth which often leads to increased demand for food, forcing agricultural land to be converted for cultivation (95.1%). This was followed by Innovations in agricultural technology, such as mechanization, irrigation systems, genetically modified crops, and precision agriculture, can lead to changes in land use patterns (94.2%), Construction of infrastructure Government policies related to land tenure, land ownership, agricultural subsidies, conservation programs, land zoning, and land-use planning influence land use decisions and practices (91.8%), Market forces, changes in commodity prices, government policies, subsidies, and trade agreements influence farmers' decisions regarding crop selection and land use (90.1%), Access to water resources, such as rivers, lakes, aquifers, and rainfall patterns, significantly affects agricultural land use decisions (89.6%). On the other hand, it was found that Agricultural land use changes can affect local food production and availability, thereby influencing food security (93.1%). Also farmers can select and plant crop varieties that are adapted to changing climatic conditions, such as drought-tolerant or heat-resistant varieties (93.2%) This study recommends amongst other things that, remote Sensing and GIS techniques be continuously incorporated as a monitoring system which will enable planners and decision makers to adequately plan and control industrial expansion effectively in a spatio-temporal dimension.

Keywords: Landuse, Industrialization, Agriculture, GIS, Ajaukuta