Application of Geoninformatic Technology in Evaluating Urban Agriculture and Urban Poverty in Lokoja, Nigeria

Abstract

The role of urban agriculture in the food supply of cities and towns, as a complement to rural agriculture is becoming an important issue in a globalizing world economy. The developing countries see it as a way to alleviate urban poverty. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were used to assess areal extent of urban agricultural land in Lokoja. Questionnaires were also used to evaluate the contributions to urban agriculture to food security and income generation among the urban poor in Lokoja. The result revealed that urban agricultural land had increased, thereby implying that urban agriculture is supporting many urban poor households. Governments, Urban Planners and policy makers are to provide an enabling environment for the urban poor to be involved in the provision of food security in the urban centre and thereby make a decent living from it.