TRENDS AND MAGNITUDE OF LANDUSE TRANSITION IN KARU PERI-URBAN AREA, NASARAWA STATE

Abstract

This study investigates the trends and magnitude of land use transition in Karu’s peri-urban areas between 1994 and 2024, with particular emphasis on spatial dynamics and their implications for indigenous livelihoods. The primary aim is to analyze how shifts in land use—from agrarian to urban-oriented uses-have altered the socio-economic realities of landholding families. A structured GIS-based methodology was employed, integrating GPS-verified land use data, hybrid satellite imagery, and administrative boundaries. Spatial analysis was conducted using ArcMap 10.8.2 through processes including layer stacking, change detection, transition matrix development, and map digitization. Key findings reveal a dramatic transformation: agricultural and vegetative land shrank from 85.77% (1994) to 22.01% (2024), while residential land (including estates) expanded to nearly 15%. Bare surfaces surged to 55.78%, reflecting speculative land clearance and uncoordinated development. These transitions, largely driven by informal land transactions and weak institutional oversight, have disrupted traditional landholding structures and undermined subsistence-based livelihoods. Many indigenous landholders, having sold land without formal safeguards, now face landlessness, economic marginalization, and exclusion from the urban economy. The research concludes that Karu’s land use changes are symptomatic of broader peri-urban dynamics seen across rapidly urbanizing African regions. It highlights a tenure shift from communal to fragmented, market-driven regimes-unaccompanied by legal protections or inclusive planning. Key recommendations include: integrating customary tenure into formal planning systems, regulating informal land markets, supporting indigenous livelihood transitions, introducing land value capture mechanisms, enforcing development controls, promoting participatory planning, and protecting remaining agricultural land. These strategies are critical to mitigating spatial inequality, enhancing land governance, and fostering sustainable urban-rural balance in Karu and similar peri-urban zones