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Published:
Dec 31, 2020Keywords:
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Main Article Content
CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON AGRICULTURAL LAND-USE CHANGE: EVIDENCE FROM SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Abstract
Agricultural Land-Use Change (ALUC) in Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as a dynamic issue in the
environment-development discourse. Unpacking what perspectives exist in scholarly publications is relevant
since scholarly ideas often shape policy directions. This paper offers critical reflections on the three broad
categories of perspectives on ALUC that have implications on agricultural productivity and environmental
wellbeing: Agricultural land expansion, agricultural land reduction, and agricultural intensification. Different
factors were found to have driven these changes in the region. They include; population growth, economic
opportunities, poverty, land tenure, environmental factors, government policies, urban development, and land
conflicts. The paper highlights how agriculture in the region has contributed to and has been affected by changes
in the landscape over the years. It shows that the region has experienced all the three manifestations of
agricultural land-use change, and has the presence of observable variation in the pattern of change across its
geographical landscape.
