Savant Journal of Research in Environmental Studies Vol 2(2) pp. 019-026 December, 2016 http://www.savantjournals.org/sjres ISSN: 2985-8933
Copyright © 2016 Savant Journals
Original Research Paper
Unravelling the Conflicts Between Urbanization and Agricultural Development DAREGO I. S.1 and Akujuru V. A.2 Department of Estate Management Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Rivers State University of Science and Technology Accepted 1st December, 2016. ABSTRACT The Niger Delta region’s economy is dominated by oil and gas business due to the dependence of the Nigerian economy on oil and gas revenue for its mainstay. The total dependence on the oil and gas industries has resulted in very high land prices in the urban centres of the region and the high prices have resulted in the rapid conversion of agricultural lands surrounding the urban areas into new residential suburbs, this has resulted in the erosion of agricultural neighbourhoods proximate to urban centres. Utilising a questionnaire survey, administered to real estate professionals in private and public sector in Rivers State, this paper seeks to unravel the conflict between the growth of urban centres and the growth of agriculture as an alternative source of revenue. By collecting agricultural land conversion data the study finds that unless there is a deliberate policy to restrict the process, most suitably located agricultural land will soon be converted to outlying residential neighbourhoods in the guise of urbanisation. It is recommended that the quest to diversify the Nigerian economy necessitates the conservation of land for agriculture, rather than allow unrestricted urbanisation in the Niger Delta. Keywords: Agriculture, Conversion, Niger Delta, Sprawl, Urbanisation, Conservation
INTRODUCTION Niger Delta The Niger Delta Region is located in the central part of southern Nigeria lying on latitude 5033'49''N and 6031'38"E in the North, 5044'11"N and 50 03'49"E to the West and its Eastern boundary is 4027'16"N and 70 35'27"E (Akujuru,2014). Akujuru (2014) further categorised the region as having two categories political and geographical. The political consists of nine states (Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers state) as shown in figure 1.1 while the geographical is a subset of the political consisting of six states Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom And Cross Rivers as shown in figure 1.2
The pattern of settlement is predetermined by the availability of dry land (NDDC 2006). The predominant activities are of two types: • Land base activities which are mostly in the northern part of the region. The activities involve farming of food crops and cash crops (cassava, cocoyam, plantain, banana) and cash crop ( cocoa, oil palm, rubber), hunting, gathering of nontimber forest products(snails, herbs and medicinal plants), preparing of local gin. • Water base activities which are mostly in the southern part of the region and is basically fishing and gathering of other aquatic lives for human consumption. The region has a total of five ecological zones (mangrove forest and coastal vegetation), freshwater swamp forest, lowland rain forest, derived savannah and montane region.
*Corresponding Author: Darego I.S * , Department of Estate Management Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Rivers State University of Science and Technology Email:
[email protected]
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Crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantities in the Ijaw community of Oloibiri in 1956 in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State Crude oil was first discovered in Oloibiri of Rivers state now Bayelsa state in 1956, this discovery has led to the shift from agriculture as the mainstay in the region to more dependency on oil which accounts for 90% gross earnings of the country (NNPC 2016). The shift from dependency on agriculture to crude oil explorative activities has affected population growth and the physical development of the region. The region has also witnessed a high rate of rural-urban migration, this has caused cities to increase beyond their bearing capacities and has led to unplanned urbanisation. The type of urbanisation that emanates from sprawl has one common attribute of sprawl in the nature of unchecked physical development. Urbanisation Urbanisation is defined as the removal of the rural character of a town or area in favour of urban region at the expense of rural settlement (Aledare, Okesoto and Oke, 2010) Dijk (2006) has used the UN threshold to define urban centres as areas having at least 5,000 inhabitants. Urbanisation as a result of urban sprawl is one aspect that brings more of the negative attribute of urbanisation to its benefactors. The oil boom in the Niger Delta is one singular factor that increased the rate of the sprawl of cities in the region because of the rate of rural-urban migration which led to over populated city centres and a resultant surplus spilling into the urban fringes. Obinna, Owei, and Okwakpam, (2010) in study the impacts of urbanisation stated that half the respondents in the city of Port Harcourt are pro-urbanisation while a little above one third are not. Urbanisation was described as a rose with thorns, the thorns being the reason for the displeasure with urbanisation. The part of the rose stems from the view of urbanisation as modernisation and improvement to socio-economic conditions. To respond to the present challenges the pattern of urbanisation needs to change (UN-HABITAT, 2016). The United Nations envisages that by 2050 the urban population would have reached two-third of all humanity leading to more extreme poverty, but has highlighted the sustainable development goal eleven (SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES) to tackle this challenge. It credited improving urban planning and management in a way that is both participatory and inclusive to be able to make cities safe and sustainable (UN, n.d.) Agricultural Development Apkan,(2012) stated that agriculture was at the centre of both household food provision and foreign exchange revenue before the oil boom and that the agricultural sector was the most impacted by the oil boom because of the declined exportation of agricultural produce as seen in table 1.1. Daneji, (2011) opines that Agricultural Development is an agrarian reform that is intended to improve the livelihoods of its benefactors and has classified the intervention programmes to be of two: policy based (National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Green Revolution programme (GR), and agency based (River Basin Development Authority (RBDA), Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) Directorate of Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure (DIFRRI). Internationally, several international bodies have also designed intervention programmes for Africa, which has included Nigeria and has also in the same fate affected the
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Niger Delta. Food and Agriculture (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP). The need for agricultural development can be seen in the sustainable development goal two (ZERO HUNGER) of the United Nations, where it identifies sustainable agricultural practices as one of the ways by which the world will end hunger. It says that sustainable agriculture will be achieved when small-scale farmers are supported and there is equal access for land to everyone because agriculture is the single largest employer of labour and provider of 80% of the food consumed in the developing world (UN, n.d.). Filani, (2006) in reviewing Professor Akin Mabogunje’s paper on ‘Agriculture and the post-colonial state’ availability of labour was identified as a major constraint for agriculture because education keeps people from the farm and educated people move towards the city for a higher wage . These factors and more, pull people away from rural areas where agriculture developments are situated and when urbanisation gets to fringe it conflicts agriculture on another level. Omorogiuwa, Zickovic, & Ademoh (2014) opined that Nigeria has the resources to achieve is 20--20 vision if it can strategize to develop its agricultural sector as was obtainable before the oil boom where she was a major export of agricultural produce. Ownership of land Communities whose land abuts the urban centre are usually tempted to sell their land to urban dwellers seeking for developable land. Aprioku & Akujuru (2010) stated that that the sale of native lands affects planning especially at the urbanrural fringe which leads to haphazard development and lack of standardised provision of basic amenities within the rural communities. This sale of native lands is not centralized even at the family level and so has a direct effect on agricultural development. Most agricultural entrepreneurs operate on purchased land and this usually is dispersed in the rural areas. With population growth comes city expansion and a resultant eroding of agricultural lands. The system of land ownership has a direct impact on agricultural development in the region. METHODOLOGY The method of study adopted was the collection of data through the distribution of questionnaires to real estate professionals in Port Harcourt and analysed using software packages for social sciences (SPSS). The Professionals are of two categories. One from the private practice and the other from public service. The questionnaires were drawn up with the purpose of collecting data that could be analyzed for the study on the effects of urban sprawl on the value of agricultural property investments. Of 100 questionnaires distributed to professionals in private practice, 70 where were collected and 60 analysed, 10 questionnaires were discarded due to their mutilation. 20 questionnaires were distributed to professionals in public service and 15 were collected and analysed. The questionnaires were distributed on the 1st of September 2016 and collected on the 15th September 2016. Respondents were asked to indicate the degree to which certain factors (which were provided by the researcher) affected agricultural properties and the analysis relevant to this study was extracted. The sample size was limited to estate professionals registered with the Rivers State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and public service workers in the state ministry.
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DATA ANALYSIS The questionnaire posed questions to obtain a popular opinion on the how urbanisation has affected agricultural development in the state based on the presumed peculiar attributes in the River State due to urbanisation. The analysis presents the quantitative data from questionnaire distributed to Real Estate professionals. The 3.1 below, shows that while 11.7% strongly disagreed and 20% disagreed that population size is a social factor that influences the value of agricultural properties. 11.7% of the respondents are undecided while 38.3% agreed, 18.3% strongly agreed, indicating that population size has an effect on the value of agricultural properties The figure 3.2 below, shows that while 10% strongly disagreed 18.3% of the respondents disagreed that the change of agricultural lands to residential properties has influenced the value of agricultural properties. 10% of the respondents are undecided while 36.7% agreed and 21.7% strongly agreed. This indicates that a total 58.4% agreed against a total of 28.3% who disagreed. This shows that change on use does impact on agriculture. The figure 3.3 below, shows that while 11.7% are undecided as whether the social status in a community influences the value of agricultural properties 15% strongly disagreed and 13.8% disagreed, while 38.3% agreed and 21.7% strongly agreed. The social status of a community does influence their activities and as such respondents has indicated that the social status can affect agricultural development, The figure 3.4 below, shows that 13.3% respondent were undecided while 15% each of the respondents strongly disagreed and disagreed respectively, 36.7% of the respondents agreed and a further 20% strongly agreed that the wage levels as an economic factor have influenced the value of agricultural properties. This implies that respondents agreed that the Wage levels is an economic factor that influenced the value of agricultural properties and thus reinforces the direct impact of the change in social structure. The figure 3.5 below, showed that while 8.3% strongly disagreed and 18.3% strongly disagreed, 13.3% are undecided and 43.3% agreed and a further16.7%strongly agreed that economic base of the region is an economic factor that influences the value of agricultural properties. thus an economic base that is based on agriculture will mean more value for agricultural properties and survival of agricultural development programs but an economy that is based on industrialization will mean less value on agricultural properties. The figure 3.6 below, shows that while 13.4% of the respondents are undecided if the cost of land influences the value of agricultural properties, 10% strongly disagreed, 15% disagreed and 38.3% agreed 23.3% strongly agreed that the cost of land being the price paid for land and other incidental charges that accrue to the ownership of land for agricultural purposes affects the value of agricultural properties. The figure 3.7 below, shows that 27% of respondents who are of the opinion that agricultural land use is provided for in the state while 73% have a contrary opinion. This can be validated by observation as the city expands and the communal land used for agriculture erodes. The figure 3.8 below, shows that 6.7% of the respondents indicated that 100% of agricultural properties change as urbanisation takes place. Another 6.7% of respondents indicated 76-99% of agricultural properties change use. 13.3% indicated that 26-50% of agricultural properties change use. 33.3% indicated that 0-25% of agricultural properties change use. 40% indicated that 51-75% of agricultural properties
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change use. In summary, all respondents agree that agricultural properties change use as urbanisation approaches. The figure 3.9 below, shows the distribution pattern of respondents who deal with the change of land use in Rivers state. Of the options provided for, 13% respondents indicated new development is a factor that influenced the change of agricultural properties, 20% indicated urbanization, population growth, government policies respectively. 26.7% indicated the price of land. The price of Land has the highest distribution, thus suggesting it as the reason why most agricultural properties change use. The price of land which is influenced by demand and supply. The supply of land is limited especially within the region where the water surface is a common part of the land. Demand on the other end is influenced by population increase and the ability to pay for it. These two factors are attributes generated by the oil boom in the region SUMMARY and CONCLUSION The objective of the study was to unravel the conflicts between urbanization and agricultural development. In line with its objectives it was found that the under listed characteristics of urbanization can be related to the cause of the conflicts. The characteristics of urbanization are interwoven and rely on each in strengthening their effect agriculture. Population size which this lead to increase in the demand of land and competition for use affects the prices of land. The change in the economic base of the region directly influences the wage level and social status of the region. This factors working together, thus establish a conflict between agricultural development and urbanization. The highest factor according to respondents for the reason agricultural properties change use was identified to be cost of land which is the price of land and all other incidental charges accruing to the ownership of land. The high cost of land is a function of the market forces of demand and supply which can in a long shot be seen to be influenced by the increase in population, wage level, social status, and economic base. It was also indicative that all other factors provided as an option for change of agricultural properties which are characteristics of urbanization do influence its change. Agricultural developments seem not to be having an effect in the region because the programs have failed to take into cognisance the changes that have occurred in the region and the state of current affair in the region. A region that has been influenced by oil boom should not be treated with one that has not been influenced as such. Agricultural development will always be in direct conflict with urbanisation in the region because as seen, the influence of the exploratory activities in the region has changed the economic base of the region, influenced the wage level, cause a population explosion which directly erodes agricultural lands and increases the competition for its use. The cumulative effect that urbanisation has on agriculture is anchored on environmental and health awareness, change in the social status of the region, change in the economic base of the region, government policies and lack of interagency collaboration. Except a direct intervention is done to check this cycle, agricultural development will not stop at being in conflict with urbanisation in the region but will lose its battle to
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urbanisation. The focus on agriculture should extend to checking the pattern of urbanisation in the region.
Figure 1.1 map of political Niger Delta Source: Godson Rowland Ana (2011).
Table 1.1 Contribution to Nigeria’s export earnings (1970-1980).
Year
Total export (in million Naira)
Major agricultural % of export value(in agricultural million Naira) value (in Naira)
1970
885.4
265.2
30.2
1971
1,293.4
244.8
19.0
1972
1,434.2
172.0
12.0
1973
2,278.4
250.1
10.0
1974
5,749.8
276.0
4.7
1975
4,923.5
230.6
4.7
1976
6,709.8
274.2
4.1
1977
7,630.7
437.7
5.7
1978
6,064.4
444.2
7.3
1979
10,836.8
495.6
4.6
1980
14,077.0
365.5
2.6
Source: Central Bank of Nigeria annual reports (cited in (Apkan, 2012).
total export million
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STRONGLY DISAGREE DISAGREE
40 30
UNDECIDED
20
AGREE 10 STRONGLY AGREE
0 Fig 3.1 Influence of Population size Source: field survey (2016)
40
STRONGLY DISAGREE
30
DISAGREE
20
UNDECIDED
10
AGREE
0 Fig 3.2 Impact of Change of use Source: field survey (2016)
40
STRONGLY DISAGREE DISAGREE
30 UNDECIDED 20 AGREE 10 STRONGLY AGREE 0 Fig 3.3 Influence of Change in the Social Status in the community Source: field survey (2016)
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40
STRONGLY DISAGREE
30
DISAGREE
20
UNDECIDED
10
AGREE
0 Fig 3.4 Influence of Wage levels Source: field survey (2016)
STRONGLY DISAGREE
50
DISAGREE
40 30
UNDECIDED
20
AGREE
10
STRONGLY AGREE
0 Fig 3.5 Influence of the economic base of the region Source: field survey (2016)
STRONGLY DISAGREE
40
DISAGREE 30 UNDECIDED 20 AGREE 10 STRONGLY AGREE 0 Fig 3.6 Effects of the cost of land Source: field survey (2016)
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27%
YES NO
73%
Fig 3.7 Provision of Agricultural Land Use in the Rivers State Source: field survey (2016)
40 30 20 10
0-25% 26-50% 51-75% 76-99% 100%
0 Fig 3.8 Percentage of Agricultural Properties That Have Changed Use Source: field survey (2016)
30 25 20
NEW DEVELOPMENT PRICE OF LAND URBANIZATION
15 10 5
POPULATION GROWTH GOVERNMENT POLICIES
0 Fig 3.9 Factors That Influence the Change of Agricultural Properties Source: field survey (2016)
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