ACCESS TO URBAN AGRICULTURAL LAND IN IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Efficient allocation of spaces for all activities is a pivot role of planners in human settlements development. The rapid and unplanned growth of Ibadan has limited farmers’ access to land for urban agriculture purposes, especially in the urban local government areas (LGAs). This study examined urban farmers’ access to land for farming and the activities of local planning authorities in terms of land allocation for farming in Ibadan. A structured questionnaire was administered to 244 urban farmers, while key-informant interviews were conducted with the officials of local planning authorities and departments of agriculture in the urban LGAs in Ibadan. The study revealed that the scarcity of land for farming has subjected over 30% of the respondents to practice farming on family land, while 17% farmed on available open spaces, including floodplains; land along mountain ridges; land under power lines, and institutions’ lands. The barriers to expanding urban farmland identified by farmers included finance, the unavailability of land in the urban area, neglect of farming and land tenure system. The study recommended the enactment of a planning policy for the classification and integration of agricultural land use as a recognised land use component in urban physical development and zoning plans.