PERCEIVED EFFECT OF URBANIZATION ON AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT

The study assessed the Perceived effect of urbanization, on agricultural development in Esan North-east Local Government Area Edo State.  This was achieved through the following objectives; describe the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers of Esan North-east Local Government; to determine the effect of urbanization on agricultural development in Esan North-east Local Government; to identify the constraints faced by farmers to agricultural development, in the study area.  The objectives were obtained using questionnaire method to elicit responses from the farmers. The study sample size was a set of 80 participants and the research instrument to generate data for this study was a structured questionnaire. Datum collected for this study were analyzed using simple descriptive analysis such as percentages, frequency and tables which were used to know that majority of the farmers, were mostly male at 72.5%, with about 85% of the farmers in the 30-49 age category, indicating that farming is more common among individuals in their prime. The study also showed that all the farmers had one form of formal education or the other, this high level of literacy is crucial for the adoption of new farming technologies and practices, also to determine of how urbanization increases demand for agricultural products of (71.25%) and increase in the level of interest in agriculture of (66.25%), it also poses challenges such as reduced land availability of (70%) decrease. It was recommended that alternative lands should be provided by government for farmers whose lands are taken over for urban expansion and renewal, Government should guarantee access to land and tenure security for suburban farmers as a result of migration, competition and changing population dynamics.