Impact Of Urban Agriculture On Water Reuse And Related Activities On The Rural Population Of The Coastal Settlements Of Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper discusses the practice of urban agriculture (UA) and fishing, which is a predominant coastal activity in the coastal settlements of Ondo state of Nigeria. It highlights the problems and prospects of urban agriculture on the local economies of the study areas. The reality of water use and reuse on the environment was also investigated. Results from this study showed that UA was a preferred complement to rural agricultural practice. Community food security at the household level in the study area has forced the community to be involved in the following UA activities: (a) arable farming within open spaces and court yards; (b) vegetable production; (c) paddy rice production especially in cities like Mahin, Idiogba, that are located close to canals and lagoons; (d) cassava and yam production in upland coastal cities such as Igbokoda and Igbekebo. Specifically, over 80% of household water demand is from canals, rivers and streams in these study areas. This was found to have a serious health implication. In monetary terms, incomes from fishing were found to be higher than that from urban agriculture by over 65%, however fishermen still prefer to combine UA with fishing for reason of food intake (feeding the family with staple food varieties). Sustainable management of the coastal areas for overall productivity is advocated.