Effects of urban sprawl on agricultural land use in peri- urban areas of Wote town, Makueni County, Kenya

Abstract

Urban sprawl, often known as unchecked urban growth, is a major global issue because of its impact on the nearby agricultural land. Urban spatial growth is an inevitable process, which is why regulations are necessary. The unchecked growth of urban areas, also known as urban sprawl, poses a worldwide threat to agricultural land because of its impact. The goal of the study was to ascertain how urban sprawl in Kenya's Wote town, Makueni County, affects agricultural land. The specific objectives of the study include; establishing causes of urban sprawl, assessing land use change and spatial extend of town since devolution, reviewing the existing urban and environmental policy and spatial framework in Wote town and documenting the interventions by institutions in dealing with land use change. Structured questionnaires were utilized in conjunction with descriptive and correlational study designs to gather data. The primary data was then acquired through key informants and field observations, while secondary data was gathered from secondary sources. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to create temporal maps of land use changes in the study region. The data was taken from randomly selected sampling points in the peri-urban regions of Wote town's Kamunyolo and Unoa sectors. The acquired data was analyzed using SPSS and displayed using graphs and charts. The study found that Wote Town's urban sprawl has had an impact on agricultural land in the urban periphery. This is evidenced by the county's shifting labor market, land subdivision, loss of agricultural land, increased land rates, and environmental land degradation. The study established the need for institutionalizing stakeholder participation in urban and land use planning processes is essential.