| Abstract: | This paper measures farmland size per capita, fallow index and fragmentation index as indices of land resource depletion and population pressure in the heavily populated southeastern Awka-Nnewi of Nigeria. Population density in the area ranges from 574-2403 persons per square km, increasing annually at 3%. The soils are porous, sandy, with extensive gully erosion. Land is subdivided in each generation such that each male child receives a parcel of his father's land. There are other pressures on land parcels, notably for residential use. Soils have become depleted from intense cropping such that yams can no longer be grown and people subsist on cassava. Data were collected from 290 households in 36 towns and villages. The 3 variables were defined mathematically, and tabulated for each village. Then a correlation matrix was computed between the independent and dependent variables. All 3 variables, land per capita, fallow and land depletion, were significantly inversely correlated with population density (p.01), the fragmentation index to the greatest degree. All dependent variables were significantly and positively correlated. Scatter diagrams suggested that the worst hit areas were the central towns, and the least affected areas were the peripheral zones along the rivers and floodplains. Although federal regulations have been passed to make land redistribution easier, local custom makes it unlikely that people will resettle voluntarily to outlying areas because of traditions of land ownership. Similarly, government measures to encourage conservation and recovery of eroded land have not been successful, and food shortages are beginning to occur. |
