Voluntary Land transaction and their implications for agricultural sustainability: a case study of Land grabbing dynamics in Ala, Leguru and Irangu Communities, Odogbolu L.G.A, Ogun State

Abstract

A ninety three day on-field research work via the use of well-structured and standardized Close-ended questionnaires was randomly conducted on the three local farming Communities of Ala, Leguru and Irangu under the Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State to determine and analyse their farming activities levels of awareness and value reliability to the menace of land grab phenomenon in Agriculture as a global epidermy. The idea and concern was born out of sudden and overwhelming emergence of Estate Developers and Agents who had shown up to acquire hundreds of acres of farmlands along the newly reconstructed nodal Ala-Omu-Ajjah road well noted for cassava farming by the local farmers. The research instrument used were well structured and standardized Close - ended questionnaires, that were administered at random to a group of carefully selected and targeted individuals, particularly farmers and land owners within these Communities. A 100 questionnaires were administered to randomly select 33 individuals and or Respondents in each of the three Communities. And results were analysed using a simple descriptive statistics, particularly the measure of central tendency, notably percentage distribution, frequency of occurrence and bar charts. Results showed that farmers and other farmland owners in these Communities were never victims of land grabs as previously anticipated before the conduct of the research. They had willingly given out their lands for sale to the foreign investors and Estate Developers most importantly for financial benefit, fear of land grab by Government and lack of governmental assistance in their farming practices. It was hence deduced that though there was no direct form of land grabs as the native willingly gave out their lands but the development is detrimental to the region agricultural production, development and food security, particular Cassava production and could be regarded as land grab in agriculture. It was then recommended that the locals should throw caution in giving out more of their farmlands, highlighting the future implications, while the government must do more to empower local communities’ farmers.