Effects of Land Fragmentation on Agricultural Production in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Land is a key resource particularly in rural areas where a number of significant resources for livelihood and other activities were derived, but due to traditional systems of inheritance of land and property and individual access to large agricultural land is becoming difficult. This study examines the impact of land fragmentation on agricultural production in Girei Local Government Area (LGA) Adamawa State, Nigeria with a view to improve farming productivity. The study used primary data which were generated from the respondents through the administration of 120 copies of structured questionnaire. The combination of stratified and systematic random sampling was used to administer the questionnaire. Correlation analysis and frequency counts were used to analyzed the generated data and to test the relationship between Fragmentation and agricultural productivity. The result indicated that 53%, 52% and 7% pattern of land ownership. The study further reveals that R=0.3 which is a weak correlation meaning that other factors affect agricultural production. The study concludes that there is no relationship between number of farm lands and crop yield and that land fragmentation tends to increase production costs and have negative impact on crop yield. The study recommends that policies and agricultural programmes in Nigeria should take into cognizance the existing land tenure systems and the problems that emanate from them.