Impact of Urban Expansion on Agricultural Land in the Niamey IV Municipal District, Niger

Abstract

Like many major cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, Niamey, the capital of Niger, continues to grow at a sustained pace, pushing the city’s boundaries as far as possible. This growth is accompanied by the consumption of space, leading to significant land transformation. The consequences of this land transformation are characterized by a decrease or even the disappearance of agricultural spaces. The aim of this article is to analyze the factors of urban pressure on agricultural spaces in the Niamey 4 municipal district. To achieve this, a mixed data collection approach is adopted to gather both qualitative and quantitative information. Data were collected through field visits, interviews with municipal officials, and a survey of 39 heads of household in Kongou Zarmagandey. The results showed that more than half of the households lost a significant part of their agricultural land due to declining yields, family and social issues, and manipulations by private entities. The investigation also reveals that the dynamics of urbanization of agricultural land in ACN4 are characterized by residential pressure on agricultural land.