ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON AGRICULTURAL LAND IN ZARIA USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS.

K. E. Oluleye

This study assesses the effects of urban expansion on agricultural land use in Zaria using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS). Two satellite images of two epochs were used for the study. GIS and Remote Sensing techniques were employed for the digital image analyses and interpretations while descriptive statistical techniques were used for data presentation. The result reveals a drastic reduction in the agricultural land use, being converted to residential land use. The agricultural land use which was 293.52 km² (62.99 %) of the total land area in 1999, reduced to 174.54 km² (37.45 %) in 2009. If this trend continues, it could lead to the gradual disappearance of agricultural land use with grave consequences on food security and sustainability. Recommendations to address this are that government and planners should create and protect agricultural areas the same way residential layouts are created and protected; storey buildings should be encouraged that maximize vertical space; also studies like this should be carried out regularly for continuous monitoring of land use changes in the study area. In conclusion, the study proved that the uncontrolled physical development and urban expansion have serious effects on other land uses which require a multidimensional approach.

Key words: Landcover, Landuse, Agricultural land. Remote Sensing, Thematic Mapper, Urbanization.