Land degradation and sustainable human development in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government of Ogun State,Nigeria.
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Date
2015
Authors
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Publisher
Sociology and Anthroplogy, Obafemi Awolowo University
Abstract
The study investigated the extent of involvement of local actors in utilization of land resources in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government; examined the association between land degradation and increasing incidence of poverty; examined the relationship between land degradation and rural-urban migration ;and determined the functionality of institutional intervention towards mitigating the challenges of land degradation within the study area. These were with the view of providing information on the implication of poor land utilization on food security, decline in quality of life and quality of the environment.
The study employed primary and secondary sources of data collection. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used. Ota III, Atan and Ado-Odo were selected from the existing 11 wards with traditional obaship institutions in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area (LGA) because of their history of persistent land degradation challenges. The quantitative data were obtained using questionnaire in which three hundred (300) respondents were selected through stratified random sampling technique. For the Indepth interview sessions, two community leaders in-charge of land matters (Baale and Olori-Ebi) were purposively selected based on their knowledge and experience of the communities, giving a total number of six interviewees. For the three Focus Group Discussions, participants that are involved in land usage (that is, farmers, timbers dealers and sand excavators) were selected. Each group comprises between eight and twelve members. Data collected from the survey research were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square. Data obtained from the IDIs and FGDs were analysed using content analysis.
The result showed that 87.7 % reported that there were various forms of large-scale or small scale poor land utilization in the community; 70% reported that poor land utilization occurred in their community daily; The result further showed that 43.3% indicated average monthly income of people in the study area ranged between N10, 000 and N30, 000; 65 % reported that standard of living of people in relation to management of land resources in their community is not improving. It was also found that 77.7% of sample population reported migrated to other areas with the way land was being utilized presently. The results affirmed that (χ2 =5.93; p<0.05) and from interviews that involvement of local actors in the management of land resources which were sand excavators, farmers, timber cutters, herdsmen and even governments officials affected the wellbeing of the host community severely through the unwholesome usage of land resources. The study revealed that (χ2 =5.23; p<0.05) and from interviews that standard of living of the host community is stagnated and not improving the socio-economic conditions of the people and resulting in lack of job opportunity for the youths in the host community vis-à-vis the problem of land degradation. The study affirmed that (χ2 =11.56; p<0.05) and from interviews that poor land utilization encourages unbridled rural-urban migration of people due to unstable economy situation, increasing crime rate and flooding which has severe effects on the socio-economic stability in the host community. Equally, the study showed that functionality of institutional intervention toward mitigating the challenges of land degradation in the study area functioned at the lowest capacity.
The study affirmed that the resultant implication of poor land utilization within the host community has caused decline in food security, quality of life and quality of the environment which has a causal effect on the well-being of people in the study area.
Description
xv, 119p
Keywords
Land degradation, Human development, Utilization of Land, Migration, Socio-economic
Citation
Fajobi, T.A (2015) Land degradation and sustainable human development in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government of Ogun State,Nigeria. Obafemi Awolowo University