The Influence of Urban Population Growth on Agricultural Land Degradation “Case Study of Kinyinya Sector in Gasabo District, Kigali City”
Abstract
Kigali city is recently expanded over the peripheral areas due to combined factors like potential land in the area in attracting investments activities, proximity to the national market and accessibility for various types of infrastructures. Therefore, the need of this article to assess the influence of urban population growth on agricultural land degradation. The results of urban population growth on agricultural land leading to the conversion of agricultural land to infrastructure development which lead to the shortage of land designed for agriculture and lead to the hunger and increment in cost for basic need especially food. A multi-method data collection approach incorporating household survey, key informant interviews and personal observation has been used to assess urbanization process of the Kigali city and the changing livelihoods. Hence, the result of findings revealed that expansion of the city during the last 5 years made significant impacts on livelihood of farming community on peripheral areas: agricultural land fragmentation, land reduction, and loss of farmer’sproperty on the land.On the other hand, the non-farm economic sector developed in the area was not capable to absorb evicted households. In addition, rehabilitation mechanisms used by the city mainly an arrangement of cash compensation has found to be inadequate to replace their resource base, which is land. As a result, most of the families exposed to further economic, social and cultural impoverishment. Therefore, Kigali city’sexpansion seems inevitable, to ensure sustainable urban development, government should make sound planning prior to displacement without treating livelihood of vulnerable groups of people living on peripheral area.
Research findings show that 90% of the respondents agreed and affected by urban expansion. Especially people whom have expropriated due to public infrastructures such as roads, schools, markets, industries, institutions and estates, like families from Murama cell, Kinyinya sector who has relocated and expropriated while 10% of respondents have not yet affected by urban expansion The affected people are mostly living in slums (Gasharu and Murama) and have low income compared to those living in urban parts of Kinyinya( Kagugu and Gacuriro).
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Introduction
The urban population of the world is increasing rapidly, the rapid increase of population is causing urban sprawl especially in the cities of developing world. It is an undesirable form of urban development as it is unsustainable (Sudhir S., 2018). Rapid urbanization has increasingly become a major developmental issue, particularly in developing countries. The global urban population has grown from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018, and it is projected to increase further to 6 billion by 2050 (UN-Habitat (2011). Highly urbanized regions include Northern America (82% living in urban areas), Latin America and the Caribbean (81%), Europe (74%) and Oceania (68%). Although Africa remains the least urbanized region, with 43% of its population living in cities, it is currently urbanizing at a faster pace. The continent’surban population is estimated to more than triple in the next 40 years, reaching 1.339 billion in 2050, corresponding to 21% of the world’sprojected urban population (UN-habitat, 2011). In Rwanda, the socio-economic and demographic trends such as population growth, industrialization, land consumption and infrastructure development, have impacted on the state of the Kigali city expansion (REMA, 2013). The City of Kigali has been grown rapidly after the 1994 Genocide compared to the previous years when Rwanda gained its independence in 1962. Kigali city’sexpansion is a result population growth due to Rural-Urban migration, economical and socio-political factors (Penine U, 2011).
This is mainly due to favorable reform in the country in terms economic policy that has created conducive environment for private investments and the proximity of these areas to national market. However, in Rwanda urban expansion programs are not supportive to farmers in periphery, and thus has negative impact on people livelihood. AS the urban population increase, the land used for growing food and cash crops in peripheral zones is highly reduced, the need for the study seeks to analyze the influence of urban Population Growth on agricultural land degradation, Case study of Kinyinya sector in Gasabo district of Kigali city.
Conclusion
4.1 Conclusion.
The study conducted in Gasabo district, Kinyinya Sector with the core objective of assessing the influence of urban population growth on agricultural land degradation. For attaining the purpose, the researcher tried to point out the specific objectives in achieving the stated objectives and to generate data findings that can be used by natural resources management, policymakers and other leaders on advocacy for rapid urban population growth and agricultural land reduction in general. Findings indicated that urban population growth influences agricultural land degradation found in the peri-urban areas of Kigali city as whole. Briefly 54.4.0 % of respondents agreed that urban population growth influences agricultural land negatively within peri-urban area.
RECOMMENDATION Rereferring on the findings from consulted respondents, the following recommendations were addressed: 1. Government institution should adopt a sustainable approach of limiting horizontal construction by adapting mansions construction that occupy a small space, setting long term goals for urban development, and improving life of people living in slums areas by strengthening the Integrated Development Program (IDP model villages) which accommodate high number of citizens. (KARAMA and BUSANZA are the typical example in Kigali city) 2. Urban population growth is unavoidable; the urban planners should strongly consider agricultural land in the periphery of the city because it is the main source of food for survival. 3. It has been revealed that high population density in urban areas live in unplanned settlements and it is at risk of disasters like floods, landslides, soil erosion as a result of much rainfall, wastes management challenges and the spread of diseases/epidemics. Therefore, the Government encourages planned settlement and accelerates the relocation of families living in high-risk areas like steep slopes and wetlands. 4. Governments should develop rural areas by spreading all basic infrastructures for the sake of reducing rural-urban migration of the people.iedeveloping secondary cities. 5. Finally, Government should sensitize the Rwandans to use family planning for the sake of reducing high birthrate that increases population which is avery big burden to the country
