An Examination of Tenure Security for Urban Crop Farming in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined issues surrounding tenure security of land for urban crop farming and identified constraints that must be dealt with in order to facilitate land accessibility and productivity of urban crop farmers in the Lagos metropolis.  475 respondents of seven communities were selected through simple random sampling and administered with structured questionnaires.  348 of the questionnaires were returned.  Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics while regression analysis was used to investigate the research hypothesis.  The study showed that contractual or tenancy agreements that should give security of tenure over land were lacking among the respondents.  It established that only 1.7% respondents in all the farming communities possessed written agreements while 59.2% had no agreement (written or oral) over their farmlands.  They consequently gained access to land through squatting or land grabbing (60.1%) while some 28.7% rented.  The regression analysis established that tenure security constraint (an independent variable) accounted for 4.6% of farmers’ productivity (a dependent variable).  The study therefore presents a policy blueprint for enhanced productivity of urban crop farmers in the Lagos metropolis.  The study researched into security of tenure of crop farmers in an urban area and identified critical issues that must be dealt with to enhance productivity among the farmers.

Key Words: Urban crop farming, Farmers’ productivity, Lagos, Nigeria