Urban agriculture in metropolitan Lagos: An inventory of potential land and

Abstract

Sixty percent of the population of metropolitan Lagos falls within the poverty bracket. Poor urban households spend 90% of their meager monthly income on food. Urban agriculture being an individual household micro level strategy directly influences the financial empowerment of urban poor positively. However, the benefit of urban farming is hinged on availability of productive land and water resources for this economic group. In Lagos, the land ownership system makes it rather cumbersome for poor urban farmers to access land. This paper examines potential land and water resources that could accommodate
urban agriculture in the metropolis. The study identified 1,197 and 28,890 hectares of potential land resources under the jurisdiction of Federal, State and private ownership respectively. The use of such land resources requires the comprehension of long term primary land use goals and objectives. Such aims will influence the choice of crops and ideal number of farmers for land and economic resources sustainability.

Keywords: Ecological carrying capacity, ecological city (eco-city), ecological footprint, urban agriculture, urban planning

Eastern Africa Journal of Rural Development Vol. 21 (1) 2005: pp. 65-72