AGRICULTURAL LAND USE ASSESSMENT IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of urban agricultural land use in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria. Estimate the amount of agricultural land in the city and the number of people employed in agriculture. 240 urban agricultural plots and 228 farmers were selected for this purpose. The city of Uyo was divided into six main road sectors: Sector A Wellington-Bassey Way; sector B Ikot-Ekpene Road; sector C Aka Road; sector D Abak Road; sector E — Oron Road and Sector F Nwaniba Road. Data on 3 independent and 3 dependent variables were collected and used for the study. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and multiple regression analysis (MRA) methods were used to analyze the data, PPMC was used to determine the relationship between each variable characterizing urban agriculture and each variable characterizing environmental quality in the six sectors studied, Regression analysis was used to assess the impact of urban agricultural activity on quality. the environment in the study area. The analysis showed that four (4) variables characterizing agricultural activity in cities (crops grown, intensity of cultivation, urban forestry and horticulture) have a significant impact on the quality of the environment. In addition, an increase in the number of farmers per unit led to an increase in pollution by 0.03 units, and with an increase in the intensity of tillage per unit, the population increased by 3 units, all other things being equal. Improper use of fertilizers and insecticides in the study area has significantly contributed to the pollution of available water resources. Based on these data, it is recommended that farmers be trained in advanced farming practices, and the Government should establish a supervisory board to monitor the use of agrochemicals.