EFFECT OF ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN PARTS OF BWARI AREA COUNCIL ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Anthropogenic activities impact directly and indirectly on people’s livelihoods, their vulnerability and food security. The need to focus studies on land degradation in understanding how agricultural systems respond to various changes in the social, economic and environmental context in which agriculture takes place, rather than focus solely on the population pressure as an indicator of the use or the non-use of soil and water conservation technologies. This paper examines the effect of anthropogenic activities on agricultural productivity in parts of Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. Qualitative and quantitative research techniques was used. Satellite imagery for 20 years (1998-2018) and structural questionnaires were used. Findings show that deforestation has the highest means score of 10.53 and was ranked the most common source of anthropogenic activity in the study area, followed by overgrazing with 13.10 and was ranked 2nd most source of anthropogenic activities in the area, poor human activities was ranked 3rd with a means score of 10.21 has a source of human anthropogenic activities while over population was ranked 5th with a means score of 4.52. The paper concludes there is little natural vegetation remaining in the area, which should be conserved acutely despite its rapid urbanization. Hence proper planning on future expansion of the area should be based on sustainable practices, if the best and optimum use of land is to be achieved.