Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of Land Use And Land Cover Dynamics And Their Impacts On Smallholder Farmers Productivity In Kamonyi District, Rwanda

Victor MANARIYO, Dr.Richard Mindge

Abstract


LULC dynamics impact agricultural landscapes and smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. The study examined spatio-temporal LULC dynamics and the associated impacts on smallholder farmers’ productivity in Kamonyi District, Rwanda from 2000 to 2025. A combination of geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques and a household survey of 398 farmers were employed alongside 15 key informant interviews, fieldwork and literature review to understand the changing LULC patterns and their impacts on agricultural productivity, soil characteristics and household food security status. Significant transformation of the landscape was evident, with 90.1% loss in forest cover, 68.0% rise in cultivated land and 669.0% growth in built-up areas. Even though there has been an expansion of the croplands, 98% of the respondents reported a decrease in crop production when compared to the past. Erosion of the soils has been noted as being very high by 63.8% of the respondents, while 37.2% noted low soil fertility. Further, 43.5% reported that food shortages have been common in their homes. This shows that even as there was expansion of the croplands, there has been reported cases of productivity issues within agriculture. It is therefore evident that the combination of spatial data and household information provides crucial insights into the LULC change and its impact on farming.

Keywords


Land Use and Land Cover Change; Remote Sensing; Smallholder Farmers; Agricultural Productivity Soil Erosion.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.52155/ijpsat.v59.2.8833

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