Mapping and Analysis of Agricultural Systems in a Part of the Lower River Benue Basin, Nigeria

Mapping and Analysis of Agricultural Systems in a Part of the Lower River Benue Basin, Nigeria.

ABSTRACT  

The present recession of the Lower River Benue has led to some adverse ecological changes and the decline of agricultural production in the face of rapid population growth in the area. The solution to the problem certainly requires a detailed agricultural land use analysis. The existing agricultural systems in the Lower River Benue Basin were identified and analyzed in order to determine their characteristics and spatial trends as a basis for conscious agricultural planning and intensification in the area.

This was achieved through the integration of the conventional and space-based technologies. The methods adopted in the study included administration of 250 copies of a questionnaire on the farmers, rapid rural appraisal, field survey and field measurements as well as laboratory analysis of the satellite and collateral datasets using appropriate GIS software packages which include: ILWIS 3.3, ArcView 3.2, ArcGIS 9.1, Erdas Imagine 8.7 together with Microsoft Office packages for thesis preparation and presentation.

Statistical techniques such as measures of central tendencies and correlations were employed to determine the level of dispersion and establish relationships between the variables of the prevailing agricultural systems and the farming community. The study identified and analyzed the spatial distribution of the following agricultural systems: irrigated, lowland rice-based, upland cereal and tuber-based, plantation or tree crop, agroforestry-based as well as fishing and livestock in the LRBB at varying scales with upland cereal and tuber-based system dominating with an area coverage of 64.11%. 

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INTRODUCTION  

Agriculture plays a dominant role in the economies of both developed and developing countries. Whether agriculture represents a substantial trading industry for an economically strong country or simply sustenance for a hungry, overpopulated one, it plays a significant role in almost every nation. The production of food is important to everyone and producing food in a cost-effective manner is the goal of every farmer as well as large-scale farm managers and regional agricultural institutions.

A farmer needs to be informed to be efficient, and that includes having the knowledge and information products to forge a viable strategy for farming operations. This information will help the farmer to understand the health of his crop, extent of infestation or stress damage, or potential yield, soil conditions, water requirements, environmental problems as well as the need for the intensification of agricultural production and/or expansion of agricultural lands to support the growing food demands (Nathan, 2000).

Growth in farm income and household food security has lagged behind the expectations of the 1996 World Food Summit, which was committed to halving the number of the undernourished by 2015. Norman (1993) stated that increases in agricultural productivity required to boost farm income and food security depend ultimately on farm management decisions in relation to choices of enterprises, production technologies and agricultural inputs, among others.

According to Idachaba (1982), agriculture has changed dramatically around the world, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fiber productivity soared due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favored maximizing production. These changes allowed many more farmers with increased labor demands to produce the majority of the food and fiber in Nigeria.

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StudentsandScholarship Team.