Abstract
PurposeThis paper aims to assess the rate and land category contributing to the changes in seven land-uses in the Kintampo North Municipality of Ghana and the effect of the decisions of land users on future landscapes.Design/methodology/approachLANDSAT images were classified to generate land use/cover maps to detect changes that had occurred between 1986 and 2014. In total, 120 farmers were also interviewed to determine their perceptions on land use changes. Interval, category and transition levels of changes were determined. Savanna woodland, settlement and forest were mostly converted to farmland in both intervals (1986-2001 and 2001-2014).FindingsResults showed that rock outcrop, plantation, cropland and savanna woodland increased at an annual rate of 13.86, 1.57, 0.82 and 0.33 per cent, respectively, whilst forest, settlement and water body decreased at 4.90, 1.84 and 1.17 per cent annual rate of change, respectively. Approximately, 74 per cent of farmers will not change land use in the future, while 84.2 per cent plan to increase farm sizes.Research limitations/implicationsThe study shows that more land cover will be targeted for conversion as farmers expand their farmlands. There is the need for strict implementation of appropriate land use/cover policies to sustain food production in the region in this era of changing climate and population increase.Originality/valueThis research assessed the land use changes in the Kintampo North Municipality and its impacts on agriculture and carbon stocks release via land use changes. It identified how the decisions of the local farmers on land management will affect future landscape.
Highlights
Anthropogenic activities are one of the major drivers of changes in land use and land cover (LULC) (Gamble et al, 2003; Lambin et al, 2003; Turner et al, 2007)
In the first time interval (1986-2001), 73.53 per cent of forest cover was lost to other LULC types at 4.90 per cent annual rate of change, while approximately 73.50 per cent was lost at the annual rate of 5.65 per cent in the second time interval (2001-2014)
Cropland and plantation are increasing at mean annual rates of 6.92 and 7.12 per cent, respectively, and their major target for transition contributing to this gain is savanna woodland and forest
Summary
Anthropogenic activities are one of the major drivers of changes in land use and land cover (LULC) (Gamble et al, 2003; Lambin et al, 2003; Turner et al, 2007). This currently manifests as climate change with numerous impacts. Climate change will impact agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, which is 98 per cent rainfed by the erratic rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures and invasion of pests that do well in warm environments (Niang et al, 2014). Climate change will likely have an overall negative effect on yields of major cereal crops across Africa, with strong regional variability in the degree of yield reduction (Liu et al, 2008; Roudier et al, 2011; Berg et al, 2013 in Niang et al, 2014)
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