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- Little attention has been devoted to the study of the economic implication of land conflict, especially as it relates to agriculture in Nigeria, despite increasing incidence of such conflicts and the crucial role of agriculture in the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. This study used data from the Southwest region of Nigeria to explore the prevalence and pattern of land conflict, analyse its determinants and assess its effect on agricultural production. Data were obtained with the aid of a structured questionnaire, from a survey conducted on a sample of 365 crop farmers who cultivated a total of 462 farm plots. Descriptive statistics, probit and multiple regression analytical techniques were used for data analysis. Reports of conflicts on plots were between 1983 and 2017, with most of the incidences (94.5%) occurring in recent years (2003–2017). Two patterns of land conflicts were identified in the study area: Farmer–Farmer (11%) and Farmer–Pastoralist (89%); the figures reveal that the majority of the conflicts were between farmers and pastoralists. The results further show that plot location, plot distance to farmer’s residence, nature of farming and soil quality had significant positive relationships with land conflict, while plot distance to nearby road had a significant negative relationship with land conflict. There was evidence of significant negative impact of land conflicts on crop production and farmers’ income; a reduction of 49% in crop production and as much as 74% reduction in income of farmers. Serious attention from policy makers and agricultural stakeholders on land-related conflicts would ensure sustainability in agricultural production and development.
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- The main focus of this study is to apply a Cobb-Douglas production function to estimate agricultural production functions at both the aggregate and sub-sectoral levels in order to determine the productivity of land, labour and capital, while maintaining rainfall levels as a control variable for the South African economy over the period from 1975 to 2012. This task will be accomplished by applying cointegration techniques, Johansen’s (1988) vector autoregression (VAR) methodologies and error correction mechanisms to capture short run disequilibrium between agricultural production function and its determinants. Specifically, the main objective of this study is to derive plausible estimates of the marginal productivities of land, labour and capital. Moreover, this study will attempt to establish the nature of the long and short run relationships between land, labour and capital in the aggregate sector and the maize and wheat subsectors. However, before the empirical analysis is conducted the study will first attempt to explain the relevant theories of growth and, which will then serve as a basis for examining South African growth experiences and policy prescription more specifically in the agricultural sector, for the purposes of understanding the South African agricultural sector growth phenomenon and choosing appropriate determinates of agricultural production growth. The fundings of the VECM, FMOLS, CCR and DOLS methods strongly suggest that the marginal productivities of capital and land were positive while that of labour was negative; all the coefficients were statistically significant except for capital. Additionally, the marginal productivity of land exceeded unity, thus implying that land productivity exhibits increasing returns to scale which confirms the trends that the number of farms has been decreasing but their land acreage have been increasing. While the negative marginal productivity of labour suggests that the South African aggregate agricultural sector is overwhelmed by severe diminishing marginal returns to labour, which explains the observed persistent decline in employment in the agricultural sector over the past three decades or more.
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- The management of natural and cultural environments is of utmost importance in the development of ecototirism. Land use suitability in Mabibi is mainly intended to manage local resources, improve agriculture or allow development under the framework of maintaining environmental quality through which local people, provincial and national governments benefit economically. The research study involves identifying key land uses in the area and identifying the effects of the existing nature conservation strategies in Mabibi. The intention is to promote meaningful ecotourism development in the area. The key issues in this research study are dealt with under the framework of the following objectives: • To identify the appropriate developmental criteria for proper land use. • To establish appropriate conservation strategies for ecotourism development in the study area. • To establish the extent to which the local community is involved in nature conservation and ecotourism development. • To identify ways in which benefits can be shared between visitors and the host community. Tourism could enhance the development of rural areas on an ecologically and economically viable basis and improve the quality of life of the local people. The study therefore hypothesised : • That the existing land uses are not facilitating ecotourism development in Mabibi. • That the conservation strategies being implemented are not adequately promoting ecotourism development in Mabibi. • That the local community is not involved in decision-making about nature conservation and ecotourism development. • That benefits of tourism are enjoyed mainly by KwaZulu Natal Nature Conservation Services (KZN-NCS) which is the custodian of conservation in the area. The method that was utilised in collecting data was through distribution of interview questionnaires to the local community, community leaders and to KZN-NCS. The intention was to elicit and extract information wanted for this research study. On-site observation and surveys were also conducted. Data were analysed through the use of Microsoft excel, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and cross tabulations to establish possible correlation between land use and rural Mabibi development. The findings of the research study obtained are, firstly, that the present land use in Mabibi is not of benefit to the local community. Subsistence agriculture that is being practised is not good because of the nature of the soil. The only successful land use is conservation. The problem is that conservation benefits its major stakeholder which is KZN-NCS and to a lesser extent individual households, therefore alternative land use should be established. The nature conservation strategies implemented by KZN-NCS are affecting the local community. The strategies should be revised for the success of conservation and for minimising conflicts on resource use. Ecotourism appears to be the possible alternative development strategy that ensures conservation of natural resources and improves the economic condition of the rural poor.
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