Topic: Impact of Urbanization on Agricultural Practices in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ghana

Introduction

Background and context of the study

The municipality of Ejisu Juaben forms a perfect blend of urban and rural life, and it is situated in the core of the Ashanti Region in Ghana. In this respect, an area of distinctive cultural heritage and prominent agricultural base is among the frontiers of the rapidly urbanizing trends sweeping across the developing world, redesigning the landscapes. The rural-urban edge of Ejisu-Juaben, a space of transition where the frenzy of the city connects with the peace of the countryside, is being remodelled. These developments signify the global pattern in which urban sprawl takes over agricultural land, leading to the associated land-use changes, livelihood strategies shift, and social-economic structures gain or lose some importance.

The issues of urbanization of agricultural practices in such transition areas should be thoroughly examined because they help us explore the complex interdependencies between urban growth and rural lifestyles. Agriculture has, over the years, served as the main source of income for Ejisu-Juaben, particularly where it sustains many of the communities. The latter is oozing with great strength despite expanding urban boundaries, which pose unparalleled challenges to the agricultural sector. They comprise the decline of arable land, and changes in water availability and labour dynamics, which exposes farmers’ livelihoods and food security of the region to risks. This study aims to unpack these dynamics, among other things, providing an understanding of how urbanization is changing the mode of farming and the lifestyle of the people in this location.

Rationale

Urbanization is a phenomenon that dominates the world at a certain stage of its development, and in developing countries, it often disrupts the agricultural landscape that begins to be humanized or semi-urbanized. This is a major consideration because agriculture is an industry that is very important for food security, employment, and economic stability. The Ejisu-Juaben Municipality has its uniqueness th, and the combination of the urban and rural elements constitutes a very good sample for studying these challenges. As urban areas stretch into rural regions, the loss of arable land, resource shift, and displacement of labour dynamics jeopardize traditional farming practices and means of making a living. The main objective of this study is to uncover the impacts of urban expansion on agriculture, making available a guide which could be used to develop smart urban planning and farming policy. By knowing the influence of urbanization on agricultural lands and practices, policymakers and urban planners will be able to formulate strategies for protecting agricultural resources and supporting sustainable farming methods and food security. This research also contributes to the general debate of sustainable development, which addresses the knowledge gap and can be used widely anywhere in the world. Hence, it promotes the academic and practical importance of its contribution.

Research question

The following questions are raised to help identify the impact of urbanization on agricultural practices in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ghana.

1. What are the changes in Agricultural land use and cover patterns resulting from urbanization in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, including converting agricultural land to urban uses?
2. What are the socio-economic effects of urbanization on farmers’ access to land, water resources, and other inputs crucial for agricultural production in the study area?
3. What are farmers’ perceptions and adaptive strategies towards urbanization-induced changes in agricultural practices, including diversification of crops, adoption of new technologies, and engagement in alternative livelihood activities?

Research Objectives

This study’s main objective is to identify the impact of urbanization on agricultural practices in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ghana. However, my specific objectives are:

1. To assess the changes in Agricultural land use and cover patterns resulting from urbanization in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, including the conversion of agricultural land to urban uses
2. To analyze the socio-economic effects of urbanization on farmers’ access to land, water resources, and other inputs crucial for agricultural production in the study area.
3. To investigate farmers’ perception and adaptive strategies towards urbanization-induced changes in agricultural practices, including diversification of crops, adoption of new technologies, and engagement in alternative livelihood activities.

Impact of Urbanization on Agricultural Practices in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality

Overview and historical perspective of the rural-urban fringe of Ejisu-Juaben Municipality

The Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, located right in the heart of the Ashanti Region of Ghana, is well-known for its cultural impact and historical importance in the whole country. In the past, this area was seen as a place where the traditional Ghanaian culture was the most dominant, with a lot of history from the larger perspective of the empire of the Ashanti. Traditionally, it has been a predominantly agricultural region with most residents engaged in agriculture. Farming has been an integral part of the local culture and economy. More than mere sustenance, the people derived from agriculture; this occupation also helped develop the community’s socio-economic well-being. The production of cocoa, plantain, and cassava, among other crops, alongside livestock farming, has always been at the centre of economic stability and growth.

The Ejisu-Juaben area’s urbanization has shaped the transformation of the previously predominantly rural society towards the growth of urban areas. The study of Afriyie et al. (2013) offers unique insights into the complex relationship between urbanization, peri-urban and the transformation of land use patterns- a crucial change in land use. Over time, as the municipality has become a product of continuous urbanization, agriculture has also experienced numerous pressures. The investigation pointed out that urbanization has become primarily a symbol of changing agricultural land use to residential and commercial applications. The shift has resulted in the decline in the utilization of arable land and the changes in farming practices as a source of the region’s economy for ages.

The urbanization of the peri-urban zones has brought a series of complex challenges and prospects. Although it brings new economic activities, there is also a danger that the sustainability of agriculture as a livelihood is threatened at the same time. The shifting urban landscape called for reconsideration of the use of land. Hence, the community had to balance preserving its rural legacy and the inevitable urbanization. Historical context in this respect presents the background for a better understanding of present-day dynamics in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, wherein urbanization has many multifaceted effects on agricultural practices and the overall socio-economic development of the region.

Current status of Agricultural practices in the rural-urban fringe of Ejisu-Juaben Municipality

In Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, current agricultural practices are threatened by the increasing rate of urban pressure and operating market forces. The study of Osei Asibey et al. (2019, p.1) vividly shows a picture of an urban farming landscape where the farmers struggle with numerous challenges. Urbanization often causes a decrease in farmland, as farmland available for agricultural production is now used to build residential and business buildings. As for the encroachment, physical space available for farming is already limited, while the competition for water resources increases with the pollution affecting soil and crop quality.

Market forces, however, constitute an extra dimension of the problem, for inputs as well as prices of crops, which vary from season to season, adversely affect the farmers’ earnings. However, the most vulnerable are the urban farmers, given the constant fluctuations further exacerbated by the oil price volatility prices, exchange rates, and the general economic climate. The ways of agriculture that have already had a place under the different structures of social and economic conditions face the danger of extinction if they cannot change. Farmers have started looking for alternative strategies like crop rotation, adopting new and improved agricultural technologies, and moving to more resilient crop varieties to resist these pressures.

Various adaptation strategies are developed, but they also face some challenges. They need access to additional skills, knowledge and money, which could be more difficult for the farmers to obtain. Consequently, the agricultural landscape within the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality has come to a crossroads, as it seeks to enforce the preservation of traditional agriculture with the demand to adapt to the changing realities of urban expansion and market dynamics.

Changes in land use and Agricultural patterns

The Ejisu-Juaben Municipality is an example of such monumental changes where urbanization is rapidly expanding while the patterns of land use and agricultural landscapes are undergoing drastic changes. Appiah et al. (2017) thoroughly examine this changing situation, pointing out a notable trend from the traditional agricultural fields to the fast-growing towns and semi-rural areas. Such a transition, symbolic of the broader urbanization trends of the whole of Ghana, proves to be a watershed in the socio-economic fabric of the area where the encroachment of urban development is expanding to the lands previously agricultural and driving biodiversity.

Such land use conversion continues beyond the level of creating land, but it produces more adverse effects. They mirror a longer list of problems that things like agency decline or increased urbanization could make – food security may be endangered as the rural farming capacity is shrinking. Soil degradation could cause the extermination of those traditions associated with farming. Hence, the ecological balance of agriculture is closely connected to biodiversity and ecosystem function. This change in land use leads to a decrease in biodiversity (a direct consequence of this decline), which further adds to the instability of agricultural practices as it disrupts vital ecological functions.

Additionally, the menacing rate of deforestation in the study exacerbates the severity of the matter. Beyond the loss of the agricultural use of the land after deforestation, clearing forested areas as a result of urban expansion also increases the gravity of environmental issues by affecting the local water cycles and climate, which are important for optimizing farming practices.

The work of Appiah et al. (2017) demonstrates that strategic management of land and urban planning should be focused on the balanced development of all three aspects – urban growth needs, agricultural preservation, and environmental response. In the face of urbanization, a central issue in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, the need for a harmonious coexistence of urban development and agriculture is not just desirable but necessary for the region’s long-term future.

Effects of infrastructure development on farming activities

The latest infrastructure developments in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality largely determine the local farming, which sometimes causes the culture to shift, so less farming space and water flows are observed. A notable example is the widening roadways intended to enhance accessibility within the municipality and for the connecting districts. However, this evolution has made bringing farm products to market and key inputs to farmers easier. At the same time, it has resulted in the purchase of farmlands for road construction, with the outcome that the existing lands for cultivation are being redistributed faster.

Additionally, building apartment blocks, villas and business centres, which provide a basis for urbanization, is eating up fertile agricultural lands. This cut down the physical space available for farming and fragmented the arable lands, leaving the farmers needing more space to undertake farming on greater scales. The conversion of farmlands into non-agricultural uses, chiefly due to pressure from real estate developments, makes agricultural activities translocate from the fertile peripheries below to the uphills.

Furthermore, the construction of new water supply systems and the rearranging of water sources to satisfy the consumed urban population, which in turn has affected water availability for irrigation. Water redistribution sometimes has the consequences that farmlands experience water shortage for agricultural purposes, pushing farmers to reconsider their cropping activities or scale down farming operations. Despite contributing positively to the overall economic growth and connectivity of the municipality, these infrastructural developments have been a threat to traditional farming practices and, as such, have contributed to the need for new strategies and adaptation.

Influence of population growth and migration on Agricultural land

The effect of population growth and internal migration on agricultural land use in the Municipality of Ejisu-Juaben is striking and highly complex, redefining the land in a manner that requires a rethink of traditional farming practices. The increase in population, which is a result of both natural growth and migration from rural to urban areas, is a triggering factor. The population u surge is the main driver of the increase in housing, service, and infrastructure demand. It has been the driving force behind the severe land crisis; many agricultural spaces are converted to residential or commercial land use to address the growing urban population challenge.

Appiah et al. (2017) and Afriyie et al. (2013) underline the fact that these demographic transformations stimulate a great repurposing of the farmland. After each influx of migrants, we have an increasing demand for living space, not only for the houses themselves but also for the services and amenities that are components of urban lifestyle. The increase in demand results in a rise in land price, making farming land a financially good investment for landowners; thus, they will sell farming land to developers. Therefore, the acreage where the agriculture used to be is now being converted into housing compounds, shopping malls, industrial parks, and similar.

Moreover, the changing structure of cities and economies towards urban brings more people to the cities, increasing the loss of farmland. Seasonal migration, especially that of the young, who look for salary-oriented jobs in places like urban centres, causes a big labour shortage in the farming sector. Due to the labour shortage, traditional farming sectors experience difficulties sustaining their operating systems. Hence, the artificial land gets abandoned or used less frequently, which increases the probability of such lands being converted into alternative urban developments.

This set of demographic patterns and their influence on land use signals the imminent demand for comprehensive land management approaches. Hence, such strategies must consider an appropriate balance of urbanization demands and maintenance of agricultural lands, guaranteeing food security and sustainability of rural livelihoods against the backdrop of the rapid changes that population growth and migration produce.

Challenges Faced by Agricultural Practices

Agriculture in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, as in many other rapidly urbanizing areas, is faced with a myriad of problems that are worsened by the speed and scale of urban growth. The most critical issue in this context is the situation of water resources becoming more and more scarcer. To service the water supply needs of cities under urbanization, domestic and industrial water and infrastructural requirements are required. The competition for water can highly reduce the amount of water left for irrigation, causing a fall in crop yields and, as such, the farmers’ income. Appiah Takyi et al. (2022) bring the research further by showing the impacts of urbanization on water sources. The pollution and water course changes that come with construction and industrial activities made the water unsuitable for agriculture.

Soil erosion thus brings about a lot more other problems. When agricultural land is changed into urban applications, it often tempts people to abandon sustainable land management practices; hence, soil erosion, loss of soil fertility and accumulation of pollutants take place. The mentioned conditions harm agricultural output and even result in the owners quitting farming in such areas.

Furthermore, the decline of arable land as a result of urban development is also a major issue. Amidst city growth, lands traditionally used for farming and agriculture are increasingly being alternately used for residential, commercial and industrial developments. It also limits the area available for food production and fractures the agricultural landscapes, making the remaining farms inefficient.

Due to these problems, farmers in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality and similar places are driven to innovative approaches to maintain their livelihoods. Crop diversification is the main direction, with farmers planting different crops to reduce risk and satisfy changing consumer benefits. The second component in this strategy enhances soil health through reduced risks of pest and disease outbreaks due to the other approach known as monoculture.

Adopting technology is another significant element of adaptation since farmers are now employing modern agronomic methods and equipment for optimizing productivity and efficiency. This includes undeveloped seed varieties, irrigation tools that maximize optimized water use, and services for market access and agricultural advice.

This trend for more unconventional farming methods, like urban agriculture, is also growing. Farming within urban areas is being successfully maintained. These help cure the loss of arable land, leading to food security and employment opportunities in urban centres.

This response suggests the adaptability and creativity of the agriculture sector in addressing the challenges of urbanization. Nevertheless, for these adaptations to be sustainable in the long run, supportive policies, agricultural research and development, from the collaboration between urban planners and the farming community, are crucial.

Conclusion

The study’s findings on the influence of urbanization on agricultural activities in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality present much-needed insights into the changing nature of agricultural land in the context of fast-paced urbanization. The key finding, through the work of Stephen Appiah Takyi et al. (2022), is that urbanization is the prime reason for the loss of arable land, the problem of water resources competition, soil erosion, and environmental issues affecting the water bodies. The mentioned factors cumulatively compromise the sustainability of agricultural practices, and what is more, they spotlight an imperative call for formal management measures that will help to reduce these impacts.

Several policy recommendations follow to implement these policies. The area industry must address and emphasize the need to incorporate land use planning into its operations to integrate urban development with sustainable agricultural practices. This involves enforcing zoning restrictions to conserve farmlands and urban design that provides recreational areas and urban farming projects. Secondly, programs should support the use of water-efficient irrigation technology and practices that improve soil conservation, ensuring the environmental sustainability of agricultural activities. Furthermore, agrarian innovation can be aided by research and development support for adopting resilient crop varieties and appropriate farming techniques in a fast-changing urban setting. In conclusion, developing partnerships between urban planners, environmental scientists, and the farm community will result in more systematic and reasonable strategies for the urban-agricultural land use interface while ensuring that future generations have food security and livelihoods.

References

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Apatewen Azerigyik, Gabriel Kofi Mawuko & Augustine Awolorinke China (2022); Urbanization against ecologically sensitive areas: effects of land use activities on surface water bodies in the Kumasi Metropolis, International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 14:1, 460-479, DOI: 10.1080/19463138.2022.2146121