Population Growth and Land Resource Conflicts in Tivland, Nigeria

Type Journal Article - Resources and Environment
Title Population Growth and Land Resource Conflicts in Tivland, Nigeria
Author(s)
Volume 4
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
Page numbers 67-78
URL http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.re.20140401.08.html
Abstract
The complex issues of population-resources pressure vis-à-vis communal conflicts in Tivland is the focus of this study. Field interviews and observations were carried out while Census figures for 1953, 1991 and 2006, and Land Use/Land Cover (LU/LC) data of study area for 1987, 1997 and 2007 were used to calculate the Land Consumption Rate (LCR) and Land Absorption Coefficients (LAC). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Post Hoc comparisons using Tukey HSD test were applied. The results reveal that: (i) greatest increase in LCR (0.019) was recorded between 1987 and 1997 while the later period between 1997 and 2007 recorded a decline in LCR (0.007); (ii) the LAC was greatest between the study periods 1987 – 1997 (0.746) but declined between 1997 and 2007 (0.213); (iii) there is a significant difference between the landuse types studied at the p<.05 level for the 3 ANOVA conditions [F(4, 10) = 69.155, p = 0.001], and as such the assumption that A1 = A2 = A3 = 0 was found untenable. The Post Hoc descriptive mean score for vegetation (M = 13960.3, S.D. = 2085.27) is significantly different from other landuse; (iv) the Post Hoc multiple comparisons reveals that Settlements is inversely related to Cultivated land, Vegetation and Bareland. Also, Water bodies reveal a total inverse relationship with other landuse types, while Bareland exhibits a negative relationship between Cultivated land and Vegetation. Collectively, the results suggest that inter- and intra-communal conflict within the region has a causal relationship with declining per-capita land ownership and scarcity of cultivable land in the face of expanding population. Looking at the complex nature of the problem, the study proposes a multi-disciplinary and systemic approach to reverse the trend, including: (1) periodic research on sustainable agricultural practices; (2) educating the rural populace of the effect of unchecked population expansion on land resources; (3) co-opting communities into stakeholder roles in sustainability programmes and mitigation/adaptation strategies; and, (4) diversification of livelihood sources away from basic subsistence to include other small-scale productive activities through the utilisation of locally sourced resources.

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